


What You Don't Deserve

by Blue_Night



Series: The Pegasus Alliance [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Alien Gender/Sexuality, Alien Sex, Anal Sex, Biting, Claiming, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Marking, Sexual Tension, Slash, Wraith, Wraith Feeding, mind-bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-25
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 18:32:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 57,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1521140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome back to Pegasus!<br/>This story begins a few months after Cameron' s return to Atlantis to live with Raven.<br/>It will be the story of Albert the Wraith and I hope you will like it.<br/>Albert is no original character of SGA, but he's a very uncommon Wraith and I think he deserves his own story.<br/>But there will be a lot of OMCs, I promise. And some new characters, I hope you'll like them, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Past And Presence

**Author's Note:**

> At first, I want to thank my Beta liz_mo again for her support and good advice!  
> And I want to thank the three persons who inspire me most: Dragonflower1, Shaded_Mazoku and Hibari-chan!  
> Thank all of you, without you The Pegasus Alliance would never have come to life...
> 
> And thanks to all of my readers, it's great to write for you!

**_25 years ago, somewhere in Pegasus:_ **

 

The night was dark and cold. The storm howled through the trees and it looked like it would start to rain, soon.

The young boy pressed himself close to his father's side while he walked with him through the darkness. His father hadn't told him where he would bring him to, only that he couldn't live with them any longer.

The boy swallowed, trying to be brave, but the thought of never being able to see his family again, his mother and his younger siblings, scared him to death. Of course, he knew it had to be this way, but it hurt so much that he almost couldn't stand it.

Everything inside him fought against the necessity of leaving his family, his friends, his home.

"Father, is there really no other solution?" He asked, swallowing against the lump in his throat.

His father looked at him and the boy could see the same despair in the beloved face as he felt himself. His father gently stroked his short hair.

"No, my son. There's no other solution. You know that."

The boy hung his head. "Yes, father", he whispered.

"Your mother and I will always love you, son, no matter what will happen. You never have to doubt about it."

"Yes, father, I know." The boy tried to smile at his father.

Quietly, they began to walk again, making their way through the dark and stormy night along the small path with effort. When they reached a clearing, they stopped waiting in silence. His father held him by his shoulder and the boy leaned in, gratefully, trying not to show his fear and despair. He wanted his father to be proud of him.

Suddenly, a tall build figure stepped into the clearing, making no sound and the boy flinched, frightened and stared at the stranger.

His father bowed his head, respectfully.

"I'm honored, Sire", he said, quietly.

"I'm honored, too, Gavan", the stranger with the strict features and the long white hair replied, almost friendly.

He handed a little bag to the man.

"This is for you and your family. It will protect you as long as you'll wear it. Make sure that your family and your descendants will always wear it, Gavan."

"I will, thank you, Sire." The man took the bag and gently shoved his son to the front.

"You have to go with him, son. He will see to you in the future."

The boy swallowed and stepped to the stranger, hesitantly. He turned to his father one last time.

"Goodbye, father", he whispered, hoarsely.

"Goodbye, son." His father stroked his face one last time, then he turned away and walked back along the path.

His son watched him leave, desperately.

A strong hand on his arm made him flinch. Hesitantly, he turned to the stranger and looked at the strict and chiseled features, which now wore an almost friendly expression.

"Come. We have to go now. You don't have to be scared. I will see to you in the future", he said, quietly and the boy actually felt a little less scared.

"Yes, Sire", he answered and followed the stranger through the darkness to his new home without looking back.

 

\---------------------------------

 

**_Presence, in Atlantis:_ **

 

Albert pushed his long white hair out of his face and looked around, musing, sitting in the cafeteria in Atlantis.

Rodney watched him shaking his head while he shoveled his food into his mouth.

"Why don't you wear a ponytail, Albert? Wouldn't it be much easier for you that way?" He asked not for the first time, while Albert sipped at his coffee.

Albert shrugged. This human gesture seemed to be a little bit strange, coming from him, at least for people who didn't know him very well.

After all, Albert was Wraith. Drinking coffee and shrugging his shoulders, admittedly, but Wraith, nonetheless.

Those, who got to know him well didn't marvel about his habit to drink coffee and shrug his shoulders. They would probably worry if he were to stop drinking coffee and shrugging his shoulders.

No-one gave him a second look when he was sitting in the cafeteria with Rodney, drinking coffee and shrugging his shoulders. The people of Atlantis had gotten used to this sight a long time before, because he had done this very often during the last three years.

"I like it better that way, Rodney", he answered Rodney' s question with his usual statement. Albert had straight and silky long white hair like most of the Wraith had, falling over his back down to his waist like a silvery shimmering waterfall. For Wraith, he was small build with delicate features. For a life sucking and mind reading alien he really was a very beautiful sight.

Rodney had stopped caring about the life sucking and mind reading. Albert was one of his best friends and that was all that mattered to him. Albert was warmhearted, helpful and patient and in spite of that, one of the most intelligent scientists Rodney had ever met. Nothing else was important for Rodney. He knew that Albert would rather die than do him any harm and his little two and a half year old daughter loved Albert as much as she loved Todd and Raven.

Rodney seemed to think about the same things, because he swallowed the last remains of his food and asked:

"When will Cameron and Raven come back to Atlantis?"

Albert' s beautiful features lit up with a smile.

"Today. We have to prepare what's necessary for the negotiation", he replied and Rodney could see how much Albert was looking forward to see his friend again. Albert was glad that Rodney wasn't jealous about his close friendship with Colonel Cameron Mitchell and he himself, because sometimes he got jealous about the friendship between Albert and other scientists, but Rodney knew the reason behind the special bond he and Cameron had.

Cameron Mitchell had saved his life by giving the order to Albert to feed from him when Albert had been deadly injured, unable to regenerate any more. They had been rescued and Raven had given the Gift of Life to his human consort, but it was something very special, nevertheless. Albert didn't know any other human being next to John Sheppard who would have done this freely without the reassurance to survive the feeding procedure. Albert lifted his cup up to his lips, remembering Cameron' s first arrival in Atlantis.

Colonel Mitchell had been the last leader of the legendary SG1 before they had been dissolved. The next two years after the disbanding Cameron had spent most of his time at a desk and it almost had driven him insane. He had wanted to do something exciting again and so he had come to Atlantis to spend his holiday on a Hive...

Cameron had actually been able to convince Todd, John Sheppard's companion and the Commander-in-chief of the twelve Hives which had an alliance with Atlantis, to fulfill his wish.

He even had been able to convince Todd' s second and that had been almost unbelievable. Before Cameron had settled in on his Hive and won his heart, the second had been more reserved and unapporoachable towards human than any other Wraith of the alliance, although he had been one of the Wraith making this alliance work.

Cameron had won the second's heart within a few weeks, given him the name Raven and now lived permanently on the Hive after traveling between earth and Atlantis for one year. And all Wraith of the alliance considered him as an equal.

Dr. Beckett had told him to leave the Hive on a regular basis a few days every month to spend enough time in the daylight of a planet to avoid serious physical or psychological damage, because humans were not made to spend their life only in darkness or gloom. And so, Cameron and Raven spent every month some days in Atlantis or on an uninhabitated planet.

They had left four days ago to their favorite uninhabitated planet to have some time to their own before the negotiation with the Queen of a large Hive who had asked to join their alliance.

This negotiation would take its place in Atlantis and Cameron Mitchell and John Sheppard would be the most important human negotiation party. John and Todd had spent some time of their own on this planet, too and were now involved in the preparations as much as Albert and Rodney.

Albert noticed the look Rodney gave him and knew that his friend was worried about his feelings for Cameron. Rodney sometimes had the suspicion that Albert had a crush on Cameron. Of course, Albert would never ever try to come closer to the consort of his Commander, but Rodney didn't believe him that he had not to worry, no matter how much Albert tried to convince him that there was nothing to think about at all.

Albert emptied his cup. In the beginning, he had needed some time to get used to that brew, although he normally appreciated human food and drinks, but now, he loved coffee.

He could feel someone watching him and turned his head a little bit, his hair falling in his face as usual. Impatiently, he pushed it out of the way, noticing Ronon Dex sitting at one of the tables staring at him. He looked as if he was ready to take his weapon to shoot him, but that was nothing new. Ronon Dex always looked at him this way.

Albert didn't mind, considering what had happened to Ronon and Sateda. He nodded in the direction of the man with the dread-locks and the grim expression on his face, friendly and turned away.

"We should go to work", he said to Rodney. Rodney nodded and stood up.

"You're right. We should have a look at the data, again."

"Yes. And after that, we should talk to Carson and Jenny." He hesitated. "I have a bad feeling about this Queen", he admitted, thoughtfully.

"Yes, me too. But it has been Todd's decision to enter the negotiations with her and we will do our best that nothing goes wrong."

"Of course, Rodney." Albert stood up, taking his platter and left the cafeteria with his friend.

 

\-----------------------------

 

Albert smiled watching Cameron coming into the lab. Cameron looked as happy and relaxed as he always did after being alone with Raven for some days.

Cameron smiled back, wrapping one arm around Albert's shoulder for one short moment.

"Hey, here you are. You seem to be very busy all the time. I already was looking for you for some time."

"Yes. Actually, I forgot to look at the clock. It's good to have you back, Cameron."

Meanwhile, it was late in the evening and Albert had worked all day in the lab without having a break, looking at the data from the planet with the Wraith-facility they had discovered one year ago. They were still busy with the exploration of the large facility.

There were always four of their allied Hives in an orbit around the planet to protect and explore the building. Oftentimes, the Stardust under the command of Colonel James Manderley was there, too. The Stardust was integrated in the alliance for almost one year now and she had become very important to the alliance.

"Will you come with me to the cafeteria? I'm starving!" Cameron asked hopefully with pleading eyes.

"Where's Commander Raven?" Albert asked, amused. Cameron shrugged.

"He has withdrawn with Commander Todd", he replied in the same tone of voice Albert had used. "I probably won't see him for the next hours and have to sleep alone."

He pulled a face, pouting, and Albert laughed.

"Fair enough. I will save you from your misery. I know that you don't like to have your meal by yourself without company", Albert gave way, switching the computer off.

Albert considered Cameron, musing while they made their way to the cafeteria.

Cameron wore the clothes Raven had presented him with when he had come back to Pegasus to stay. They were made of the same material like Wraith-clothing, the only difference to the usual clothes was the jacket Cameron wore. It wasn't a long swinging coat, but some kind of bomber jacket and it suited him very well. Cameron wore his own clothes only from time to time and had settled in on the Hive completely.

Albert smiled, dreamily. thinking of the many changes one single human had caused in their alliance, and he had done this even without any fights or effort. Cameron had been able to charm everybody including all of the Wraith of their alliance.

The most important change except from his relationship with the Wraith-Commander of the flag-ship had been that he had convinced the other eleven Commanders of the necessity of having a name. Humans were not telepathic and had no possibility to distinguish the Commanders in any other way than giving them different names.

Every time the other Commanders were in Atlantis, there had been great confusion among the human negotiation parties because they had to call all the Wraith 'Commander'. But to number them wasn't possible, too, because that would have been an insult for every Commander. They were all as equal as their Hives, in spite of the flag-ship and Todd' s second Raven.

Finally, Cameron had suggested to them to call them by their title, 'Commander' and a name set behind the title. They had hesitated first because all of them knew the way Colonel Sheppard used to choose a name, but Cameron had found a solution which had surprised everyone.

Cameron had spent some days on every other Hive to get to know the other Commanders and eventually had chosen a special name with the agreement of each Commander.

He had used old names from earth with honorable meaning from three languages: Celtic, Greek and Latin, the last one related to the ancient language.

All of the eleven Commanders had accepted their names and wore them with pride without hesitation. All people from Atlantis now used the title 'Commander' and the name set behind and there were no mistakes any longer when there were more than two Commanders around. The Wraith even now used the names among themselves when they were together with their human allies.

Albert smiled, inwardly listing the eleven names Cameron had chosen: Kilian, Patricius, Sebastinus, Germanus, Kyrillos, Leandros, Octavius, Alexandros, Justinius, Iason and Omiros.

Even the training-master, former simply called 'Master' had Cameron finally asked to give him a name and Cameron had named him Marcos.

The alliance was stronger than ever since Cameron lived on the Hive with Raven and each Commander honored Cameron for the way he had chosen his name.

"Why are you staring at me like this? Got something on my face?" Cameron' s voice interrupted his musings. Albert flinched, feeling caught.

"I only thought about the negotiation with the Queen", he murmured, sheepishly, knowing that Cameron probably would see through his little lie.

To his relief, Cameron said nothing about it. Instead, he replied, thoughtfully:

"Yes, I am as mistrustful as you are. I only have bad experiences with female Wraith."

He joined the back of the short line in the cafeteria, taking a platter.

"But I think that Todd and Raven are as mistrustful as we are."

"Yes, you're right, I guess."

Albert took a platter, too, grabbing some food. When he looked around, there were only well-known people, looking friendly at him. The inhabitants from Atlantis greeted him and smiled at him and Albert smiled back. Atlantis had become his home as much as his Hive in the last three years and he felt accepted and welcomed.

He followed Cameron to one of the tables and sat down. It was nice to have a home like that and he would do everything he could to protect it.

 

\-------------------------

 

The next morning, Albert got up, early.

He was freshly fed and didn't need much sleep. He'd rather go to the lab to check the data before there were too many people disturbing him.

When he stepped into the lab to his surprise, Rodney and Commander Kilian were already there. They stood at one of the consoles debating vivaciously about something on the screen. Actually, it was Rodney debating vivaciously while Kilian stood at his side considering him the expression on his face showing something akin to amusement.

Albert came to halt, watching them for several minutes, considering about how strange it was that Rodney seemed to feel more comfortable in Commander Kilian's presence than he himself. Rodney was human and he was Wraith, it should have been the other way round.

For some reason Albert didn't know he felt nervous and uncomfortable when Kilian was around.

Perhaps it had something to do with the way Kilian looked different from the other Commanders of the twelve Hives.

Kilian didn't wear the usual long swinging coat all the other Commanders and officers wore. Instead, he wore a long jacket, reaching down only to his thighs and enclosing his figure nicely. Cameron had told him that there was something similar to the jacket on earth, called 'frock coat'.

Kilian's thick white hair only reached down to his shoulders instead of the long mane Wraith normally had. He had tied back two thin strands to hold his hair out of the way. Cameron had told him that Kilian reminded him of some old warrior from earth, called 'Viking' whoever a Viking might be. Kilian wore a tattoo like any other Commander and his tattoo, enclosing his left eye, looked like some kind of winding circle. It reminded Cameron of some kind of Celtic ornament. The Celts were another ancient tribe from earth who had lived at the same time as the Vikings. That's why Cameron had given him an ancient Celtic name. All the other names came from the Greek or the Latin language related to the language of the Ancients.

Kilian meant 'warrior' in the Celtic language and seemed to suit the young Commander very well. In fact, Kilian liked to be called just Kilian instead of 'Commander Kilian' and that was as uncommon as his whole behavior.

But the most astonishing thing about Kilian was his age. For being a Commander of a large Hive, he was very, very young. But Todd and Raven always selected their Commanders for their abilities and loyalty and not for their age or something like that. And because of that, Kilian was a Commander and not only an officer.

Albert had to admit that Kilian had his Hive under control despite his age and adventurous nature.

Maybe, Albert just felt uncomfortable with Kilian because he only felt really comfortable on his own Hive and normally tried to avoid being among the Wraith of the other allied Hives. Albert preferred to be in Atlantis than to be on another Hive.

And Albert knew that Kilian had strong telepathic abilities and that he could try to read his thoughts without his permission. Albert had strong abilities himself and he probably could keep Kilian out of his mind but only with great effort and that made him feel unsure in the young Commander's presence.

Only Todd, Raven and Kilian had the same strong mind-control as he himself, but he knew that Todd and Raven would never abuse their abilities. He just didn't know the young Commander well enough to be sure about that. To his credit, Kilian had never tried to read his thoughts without his permission, accepting his rejections without being annoyed or offended at all.

It couldn't be long ago since Kilian had arrived in Atlantis coming from the planet with the Wraith-facility. He would be at the negotiation, too, and another Hive had taken his place in the orbit of the planet. It was very important to protect the planet during the negotiation.

Kilian noticed him first and turned to face him. Albert waited for him to try to connect with his mind, but Kilian didn't try, speaking to him loudly instead.

"Good morning, Albert! You should come here and have a look at that."

Albert slowly walked closer, smiling at Rodney who didn't stop talking, only nodded in Albert's direction.

"That could be the one thing making the alliance unbeatable!" He stated vivaciously. "We must go to Jenny and Carson! They should take a look at that, too. This could be the end of all of our struggles!"

Albert came to them, curiously, carefully avoiding to touch Kilian. He knew that it was almost ridiculous to be as nervous as he felt each time he was close to the young Commander who had always been nothing but respectful and polite but he just couldn't help himself.

"What are you talking about, Rodney?" He inquired, feeling the amused look Kilian shot him because he had asked Rodney although it had been Kilian who had brought the data from the planet.

Rodney gestured widely with his hands in a very theatrically manner:

"This could be the solution for the feeding problem!"

 

 


	2. Considerations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have to prepare everything for the negotiation with the Queen, now.  
> That can be rather exhausting and boring. But there are some things to make that easier and more pleasurable...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will be definitely more about Wraith than the first one and there will be some new important characters.  
> I hope you will like reading about them as much as I like writing about them.  
> The story has its own mind and I just go with it, but it's fascinating and lots of fun!
> 
> As always - thanks to my Beta!

Albert stared at Rodney, completely stunned.

"Excuse me?" He asked, sounding rather confused. They had been searching for a remedy for more than three years now - and he himself more than any other person of the alliance. And of course, he hadn't expected to get that enthusiastic statement from Rodney right now.

He turned to look at Kilian, confused, who watched him with obvious amusement.

"I think that Dr. McKay is exaggerating things, but there is real hope that this data will help us along with finding a remedy sooner than we have expected, Albert", he remarked with a smirk.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Yeah, maybe I exaggerated things a little bit. But this is the data that will change everything! I can feel it in my bones!"

He blushed when he saw the way the two Wraith were looking at him.

"Have a look at the data by yourself, Albert. I'm sure you will agree with me." Albert stepped closer to the console to look at the screen. He skimmed through the data and could feel a smile spreading all over his face. The data Kilian had brought from the planet with the Wraith-facility was really astonishing. For the first time in months he felt hope and excitement that they would be able to find a cure for humans Wraith had fed from, so they wouldn't die after the feeding, maybe even recover completely. He gazed at Kilian and Rodney.

"We should go to Jenny and Carson with this! But I think Rodney 's right. This could be what we were looking for all of the time!"

Rodney sighed, theatrically. "Why there has to be the damn negotiation right now off all times? It would be far more important to look at that and work with it", he growled, angrily, turning to the computer again.

Albert nodded. "You're right, Rodney, but we have to make sure that no-one will get to know about that. Not before the negotiation, only Commander Todd, Commander Raven, Colonel Sheppard, Cameron and of course, Jennifer and Carson should know about the data."

Rodney' s eyes were glued to the screen. "Yes, of course, we will tell no-one else! This has to stay secret. What about your crew, Kilian?" He asked without even looking at the young Commander.

Kilian shot Albert a brief look. "No-one of my crew knows about this data, although I can really trust them. All members of my crew stand hundred percent behind our alliance. But you're right, Rodney. It would be good to make sure that as less people know about the data as possible before we enter the negotiation. My head-scientist knows about it but he's here in Atlantis and won't tell anyone."

He watched Albert for a while, lost in thoughts and for one short moment, Albert was tempted to bond with Kilian telepathically, but he pushed this unexpected wish away, immediately. Kilian smirked as if he had sensed Albert's wish, but he became serious again, soon.

"Rodney, you should speak to your wife and Carson. Albert and I will go to see the Commanders to talk to them before the negotiation will start tomorrow."

He waited for Rodney to save the data on another USB stick and took the stick Rodney handed to him before turning to Albert.

"Albert, come on, we should go now. I guess I'm right in thinking that both of our superiors have been busy with the preparations for the negotiation all night long. Let's go to them and tell them about our new discovery."

Albert smiled, remembering Cameron's complaint from the last evening about having to sleep alone without Raven beside him. Raven and Cameron had a quarter in Atlantis they used when they were in the city and they tried to spend most of their nights together, although Raven needed less sleep than Cameron. But Albert was pretty sure that Cameron had been right with his complaint and that Todd and Raven had been preparing the negotiation all night long.

"Yes, I think so. Cameron mentioned something like that yesterday while we were in the cafeteria together."

Rodney immediately shot him a sharp look and Albert groaned inwardly when Kilian noticed Rodney's expression and gazed at him, too. If Rodney only were stopping to look at him this way every time he just mentioned Cameron's name.

But Kilian said nothing, just nodded. "Very well, then we will go to the control-room first. Come on, Albert. We have a lot of things to talk about before the Queen will arrive. And I guess I'm not mistaken of thinking that she will arrive sooner than we expect her to, to - hm - watch our preparations", he said with an undertone in his voice which showed Albert that Kilian was as mistrustful as Rodney and Albert himself towards that Queen.

Albert smiled at him and Kilian smiled back, looking rather astonished, but delighted, too. It didn't happen often that Albert smiled at him.

"Yes, we have to go. See you later, Rodney. And take Dorothy in your arms for me if you'll see her", Albert said and Rodney nodded. "I will. See you later", he murmured, absently, already busy with the data again.

Albert and Kilian left the lab and walked to the control-room in silence. Albert was very aware of the glances Kilian shot him from time to time, but he refused to look back at him.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

They actually found the Commanders in the control-room, together with John Sheppard and Cameron. The two men looked pretty tired, both of them holding a cup of coffee in their hands, sipping from the hot drink from time to time and looking rather pleased every time they did so.

Albert noticed the big pot and several cups standing on the desk with delight. He had to suppress a smirk when he saw the expression on Raven's and Todd's features every time they watched their human companions sipping from the coffee.

His two superiors had become used to many of the strange human habits and they did a lot of things to please their human companions Wraith normally wouldn't do, but drinking coffee wasn't one of them. They would never understand the addiction to coffee most of the humans had.

Kilian and he himself greeted the two superior Commanders and their human mates with respect and politeness and sat down at the desk, too. Albert immediately took the pot of coffee and a cup and served himself with the hot drink. It had taken him some time to get used to coffee but meanwhile he was as addicted to coffee as his human friends.

Todd and Raven watched their head-scientist serving himself with the disgusting brew and sipping from his cup with visible delight with something akin to fascinated distaste.

Albert could see the hidden grin on John's and Cameron's faces. The expression on John's features turned into disbelieving astonishment when he saw Kilian taking another cup and serving himself with coffee, too. Five pairs of eyes stared at the young Wraith-Commander, partly terrified, partly fascinated, partly rather pleased, as Kilian took a mouthful from his cup. There was complete silence in the room while the three Wraith and the two humans stared at the young Wraith.

"Hm, the coffee's fine. Am I right of thinking that you made it, Cameron? Most of the humans addicted to coffee don't know how to make real good coffee", Kilian remarked after drinking and placing the cup back on the table again with satisfaction on his chiseled features and gazed at Cameron and John sitting between the two Commanders.

John choked and began to cough while Cameron was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"You're right, Kilian. I made the coffee. And I'm glad to know that you still appreciate coffee as much as you did when I was on your Hive", he answered, satisfied and rather smug.

Raven rumbled and shot his mate a grim look while Todd suppressed a chuckle.

"What did you do on his Hive apart from making him coffee? Or on the other Hives? Is there something I should know?" Raven asked with a growling undertone in his voice which would have scared old soldiers to death.

Cameron smiled at him, tenderly and fearlessly.

"Nothing, Raven", he assured his growling Wraith. "I only tried to get the Commanders used to coffee." He sighed, sounding a little bit theatrically. "It's a pity that Kilian was the only one I was successful with. I guess he's still young enough to be able to adapt."

Raven said nothing, but the expression on his features was really not to dismiss. Cameron would have to pay for this cheeky statement when they would be alone. But Cameron seemed to be neither scared nor to have a guilty conscience. In fact, he seemed rather pleased with himself and to be looking forward to his punishment later.

Albert cleared his throat and everyone in the room turned to face him.

"It's nice to know that I'm not the only Wraith drinking coffee, but there are some serious things we have to talk about before we're entering the negotiations", he said and gestured to Kilian. "Commander Kilian brought some interesting data from the Wraith-facility with him which could help us with the medical research for a remedy."

Everyone in the room immediately focused on Kilian waiting for an explanation.

For one short moment, Kilian looked at Albert, thoughtfully and intently, and Albert shifted uncomfortably his weight on his chair. There seemed to be a smile on the expressive features before Kilian turned to look at Raven and Todd.

"Yes, my head-scientist has found something very interesting", Kilian explained with his warm and pleasantly dark voice. "We don't know which Wraith-clan has been searching for a remedy, but it seems that it was long ago, centuries, maybe thousands of years. It's obvious that we're not the first to try finding a remedy for humans after the feeding procedure."

He took a break to drink from his coffee again and Albert could see Raven and Todd frowning, while John and Cameron obviously understood Kilian's wish to drink his coffee hot and not cold.

"This medical research is about our enzyme, trying to reduce the addicting characteristics, but to increase the stabilizing qualities in a way that the decline of humans fed from stops or at least slows down. And it looks very promising."

For one long moment there was only silence while the others were thinking about what Kilian just had said.

Todd broke the silence first. "Yes, it seems to be very interesting. We wanted to do the same, so it could help us to find a remedy sooner than we have expected", he remarked, musing.

Kilian nodded. "That's right. Whoever it was who did the research was much further than we are and they must have been exploring during many years. We still don't know how big the facility really is or how old. And we don't know why they left or when they left. I guess that we only know about twenty percent of the whole building and that the facility already existed or at least was built during the war with the Ancients ten thousand years ago."

"Yes, Kilian, that's probably right."

Albert smirked as he heard the Commander he truly admired using the human name Cameron had given the young Wraith without the title. It was really astonishing which changes the work and the relationships with the people from Atlantis had caused among the Wraith of the alliance.

The people from Atlantis who actually came from earth had caused more changes within the Wraith during very short span of three years than all people from Pegasus within the last thousands of years together, the Ancienst included. They had left their mark on every Wraith of the alliance. Those people simply were amazing. They were able to do things within a very short span other people would never be able to do within their whole life.

He only had to think about Cameron and John who had won the hearts of the two most impressing Wraith-Commander Albert had ever met. Or about Dorothy who was able to wrap every Wraith she met around her little fingers if he wanted to be or not.

After some time he noticed the silence and looked around, confused. Everyone was watching him, obviously waiting for him to answer to some question.

"I'm sorry", he murmured, embarrassed, glad that Wraith were not able to blush. "I'm afraid I did not listen for a moment."

Kilian grinned, mockingly. "Yes, that's obvious. I'm sorry that my explanations are as boring to you as they seem to be", he stated, wryly.

"They aren't, Commander", Albert replied, feeling irritated and indignant. To his relief, his two superiors didn't seem to mind his short inattentiveness.

"Would you please be so kind to repeat what you have said?" He asked, ashamed.

"Of course, Albert", Kilian answered, friendly smiling at him. "I asked you if you want my scientist to stay in Atlantis to help with the research when I'll return to the facility after the negotiation."

Albert hesitated. "I think it would be more useful if he will return there, too. Maybe there's more data and we need the best scientist there." To admit, he wanted to go there himself, but he always felt uncomfortable when he had to stay on another Hive.

Kilian considered him for a while, lost in thoughts. "Why don't you join us there, Albert? You are the most qualified scientist to do that."

Albert frowned, annoyed. "Your scientist is very qualified. Does he know how you think about his abilities?"

Kilian grinned, mockingly. "Of course. In fact, he was the one who had suggested it. He is able to appraise his abilities and yours in a realisitc way. And I appreciate his ability to do that."

Raven looked at Albert and then to Kilian, musing. "That could be useful. Maybe, Dr. Beckett could join you, too", he stated, hesitantly and Albert gazed at him, frightened. His Commander knew that he didn't like to be on another Hive. "But we will make this decision after the negotiation. Now, we should focus on what is important right now."

No-one contradicted Raven and Albert was glad that he had won some more time before he had to decide if he was able to stay on another Hive for quite some time.

He took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the things Todd was talking about now concerning the negotiation they were entering the following day.

The most important thing now was to be prepared for the arrival of the Queen. Everything else could wait.

 

\------------------------------------------

 

They had been talking about the negotiation the whole morning and had debated about their procedure. Albert was glad that he wasn't the only one who was mistrustful about the Queen and her intentions. Cameron, John and Kilian had made their comments about the negotiation, too. They were as concerned as Albert and had said that out loud.

Raven had been more guarded, but Albert knew that he did that because he respected his friend and Commander-in-chief too much to say something in front of the others.

Of course, Albert understood why Commander Todd had decided to enter negotiation with the Queen. He wanted to find some powerful allies to strengthen their alliance. And in spite of that it was dangerous to deny every request right from the start. It was better to show the willingness for negotiations to learn more about their opponents.

The most important thing that Albert bothered so much was that the Queen surely would try to become the ruler of the alliance. It was unlikely that she would accept a male Wraith or a human being as her superior. Wraith-Queens only accepted other Queens as equal and would never obey to the orders of any male being. When it had been a Hive without a Queen he probably would have been less concerned.

He sighed and saw John Sheppard looking at him. Sheppard was walking with him to Rodney's lab. They had taken a break because they had been debating about the same topic again and again and after a while the Commander had decided to make a break. Albert wanted to see what Rodney had found out about the data by now and Cameron had decided to take a run through Atlantis. Todd and Raven stayed in the control-room with Kilian to talk about other things they had to see to and John went with Albert to the lab.

"Are there any problems, Albert?" John asked him, concerned. Albert shook his head and both of them smiled about the human gesture Albert had used.

"No, Colonel Sheppard. No problems. But I have a bad feeling when I think about the Queen and her intentions."

John nodded. "So do I, Albert. But we will do our best, don't we?"

"Of course, Colonel Sheppard." Now, it was John's turn to sigh.

"Why does Cameron is Cameron for you and I'm always Colonel Sheppard, Albert?" He inquired, resigned.

Albert smiled at him, politely. "You know the reason very well, Colonel Sheppard."

John pulled a face.

"Yes, I know. But I don't like it, anyway."

Albert bowed his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. But it won't change nothing."

John made a sound, something between a growl and a snort but Albert knew that he wasn't really angry with him."

Albert had been witness to the change of the relationship of his Commander-in-chief and his human companion during the last year. It had began around the time Cameron had returned to earth because of the disease of his mother. The change had been slow but obvious, nevertheless.

Albert had always known how hard it had been for Sheppard to accept his feelings for a Wraith at the beginning. Friendship he could have accepted easily, but to come to terms with being in love with a Wraith had been much harder to accept for the military leader of Atlantis.

Albert's admired Commander-in-chief had been very aware of the inner struggles the human who had won his heart went through and he had been waiting, patiently. He was old and wise enough to know that some things couldn't be pushed and that patience and understanding would be rewarded someday. Nevertheless, Sheppard's behavior had hurt his Commander sometimes and it must have been very hard for his Commander to suppress his natural Wraith-drives and behavior for Sheppard's comfort.

Cameron's arrival in Pegasus and his relationship with Raven eventually had changed that, forcing Sheppard to come to terms with his own relationship with a Wraith-Commander.

Sheppard might have needed more time to finally accept his feelings and all of the things this relationship were including but when he did, he had done it without hesitation and reservations.

One of the things that showed the change was the big mark on Sheppard's neck the Commander had left there, obvious for everyone to see who was looking at the Colonel. Sheppard didn't hide those marks anymore. He knew how important it was for a Wraith-Commander to show his claim on his human mate to others, even more when Wraith of another clan were around. Wraith were very territorial and Sheppard eventually wore those marks without trying to hide them or being embarrassed. Cameron had done it proudly right from the beginning of his relationship with Raven, but to be fair, it had been much easier for him.

Albert was glad that the people from Atlantis accepted the obvious proof of that relationship without saying one single word about the mark, even Rodney and Ronon had said nothing. All people knew how important this sign of claiming was for the superior Wraith-Commander of the alliance and they showed with their acceptance of that strange Wraith-behavior that they were true allies.

Those marks also were for the protection against other Wraith and a clear warning to them not to touch the consort a Wraith had chosen.

John noticed Albert's glances and grinned, crookedly. "It's really important for him", he remarked and Albert could see him blushing being embarrassed because of Albert's obvious staring at his mark.

Albert nodded and smiled at Sheppard, warmhearted.

"Yes, I know that, Colonel Sheppard. And it's good that you're able to let him do this", he replied, gently.

"I would never put him to shame in front of a Queen by letting him not do this, Albert", Sheppard answered in a low voice.

Albert was about to say something when Sheppard's radio beeped.

Sheppard pushed the button.

"Sheppard here. What's up?"

The voice of Sheppard's XO sounded tinny through the radio.

"Major Lorne, here, Colonel. Commander Alexandros contacted us a few minutes ago. The Hive of the Queen is coming to Atlantis. Much earlier than expected. She will arrive here, soon. The Hive will be in an orbit over Atlantis in at the latest two hours, Sir."


	3. Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Queen is coming to Atlantis to join the alliance.  
> What will happen during the negotiation? Will they really come to an agreement?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story definitely will be much more about Wraith, their living and their culture - at least how I think it could be.  
> There was so little about them in the series that I think we have to work with our own fantasy and that's exactly what I'm doing.  
> It's amazing and so much fun and I really love it because it surprises me every time I write a new chapter how the story is going on.
> 
> I hope you will enjoy it, too!
> 
> As usual, I want to say thank you to liz_mo.

They stood all on the one pier big enough that the scout-ship the Queen was coming to Atlantis with could land there.

All that were of course Todd, Raven, John Sheppard, Cameron, Kilian and Albert himself. Mr. Woolsey as the civil leader from Atlantis had joined them, too and Albert could immediately see how nervous the man was.

Commander Todd stood in front of them all, John Sheppard next to him at his side. Todd had insisted that they stood side by side to make it clear right from the start that Wraith and humans were totally equal in their alliance.

Right behind the two leaders of the alliance stood Raven, being Todd' s second, Cameron as the intermediary between the alliance and earth and Mr.Woolsey as the second leader of Atlantis, side by side.

Kilian and he himself were standing behind Raven, Cameron and Mr. Woolsey a little bit sideways. There was no official 'third' after Todd' s second, but Kilian unofficially held this position because of his astonishing abilities. And Albert was the head-scientist of the alliance and therefore also a part of the welcoming delegation.

The Commander had ordered all of the Hives to Atlantis except for the four Hives over the planet with the Wraith-facility and one Hive that was patrolling several light-years from Atlantis away.  
Now, there were six Hives in a large orbit over Atlantis to protect the city if they were about to find out that the Queen was a real threat and because Todd wanted to show the power and strength of the alliance.

Four of the Commanders had stayed on their Hives to protect the city against attacks from space, but two of the other Commanders had been coming to Atlantis and stood now sideways behind Kilian and Albert.

One of them was Commander Alexandros, the one who had informed Atlantis about the earlier arrival of the Queen, and the other was Commander Justinius. Albert appreciated him as a very talented diplomat. That was also the reason for the name Cameron had given him.

Alexandros had great skills in strategy and defense and was the organizer of the protection and defense of the alliance and therefore had got his name, too.  
Cameron had explained them the meaning of their names and both of Commanders wore the name Cameron had given them with pride. Justinius was the expert for law and justice and Alexandros was the protector of the alliance.

Albert was still amazed and excited about the solution Cameron had found for the problem with the naming which worked so well. He had believed that apart from Todd and Raven he would be the only one to accept and wear a human name with pride.  
The arrival of the scout-ship was announced with a loud buzzing in the air interrupting Albert' s thoughts.

He stiffened and pressed his lips together, instinctively.

He didn't like Queens. Cameron and he himself had almost died the last time they had had a meeting with one of the female rulers.

Kilian stood quietly at his side, his hands clasped behind his back. He shot Albert one brief look and as strange as it was, Albert actually felt more secure with the young Commander standing by his side.

Albert might be stronger than any human and he had very strong mental abilities but he was short for a Wraith and would never be able to defeat one of them in close combat and he knew that very well.

The scout-ship sank to the ground and Albert took a deep breath. His Commander stood at the front, unmoving, his arms crossed over his chest.  
Albert stood behind him and couldn't see his face because of his position, but he knew that Todd and Raven wore their impassive masks on their chiseled features. He also knew that all of the Commanders were telepathically connected now.  
After one short moment of hesitation, he contacted the mental bond of the Commanders.  
Kilian shot him a surprised look before looking to the scout-ship, again, but he didn't say anything.  
Albert always tried to avoid permanent mental contact with Wraith who were not from his own Hive and rather used spoken words with them.

One of the many things which showed his difference from any other Wraith he knew but he preferred to be alone in his head.

But this time, it was important to fight against the mental force the Queen surely would use to push her claim to leadership through right from the start.

And he was the one who had abilities similar to a Queen.

He knew that Todd and Raven had improved their mental force through the thousands of years they were living but his Commander would probably need support.

The others welcomed him in their bond and Albert stiffened waiting for the Queen to arrive.

After a few minutes, she did.

She was an impressive figure.

For a Queen, she was tall build and of slender shape. Her dress showed her figure very nicely but it wasn't as revealing as the dresses of other Queen, glittering in a dark-blue color.

Her thick dark-red hair fell in long wavy strands over her shoulders down to her waist shimmering almost violet in the sun.

She was a real beauty and she knew that.

Albert felt a cold shiver running down his spine. He really didn't like her.

A few Wraith followed her in a very servile manner together with several drones.

She didn't try to force the Wraith-leader of the alliance to his knees right at the start, she was too clever to do that. But she tried to force him to bow his head deeply to her.

She didn't succeed.

Todd stood there, completely still and didn't even flinch. Of course, she knew that the other Wraith of the alliance were supporting him and she also sensed who was the one with the strongest power because for a very brief moment she was looking at him and Albert could sense her in his head.

“We want to welcome you, Lady.” Todd bent his head, slightly. He did it because he wanted it to do, not because she had forced him to. He showed the same politeness he showed to every invited guest. But he didn't acknowledge her as his Queen and she knew that. He also showed it with addressing her by the title 'Lady' and not 'My Queen'. She pressed her lips into a thin line and lifted her chin.

“Commander”, she replied, coolly, annoyed by the fact that he didn't accept her as his Queen. Her gaze traveled to Colonel Sheppard and she gathered her lips in a very contemptuous manner.

“Your worshiper is very arrogant, Commander”, she snorted, outraged.

That was an intentionally insult and she knew that, using it to cover her unsuccessful try to take charge.

It was obvious for every Wraith to see that Colonel Sheppard was the chosen mate of the Commander and not his worshiper.

Albert could feel his superior narrowing his eyes in annoyance through the mental bond.

“Colonel Sheppard is no worshiper, Lady.”  
He accentuated the title 'Lady' in a way that it came close to an insult, but not quite yet.

“Colonel Sheppard is the military leader of Atlantis and the human leader of our alliance. And he's my chosen consort. You will accept him as totally equal during our negotiations as much as the consort of my second, Colonel Mitchell.”

Albert could feel the annoyance emanating from his two superiors, because the kind of the relationship to their human mates was not to dismiss for any Wraith by the marks on their necks and the fact that Colonel Sheppard and Colonel Mitchell were standing side by side close to their mates.

A worshiper would have been wearing a collar standing behind his Wraith.

Albert watched the Queen who was staring at the Commander surely considering what to do next. Finally, she nodded, graciously.

“As you wish, Commander”, she hissed turning to her own Commander.

Albert looked at the tall and hulking Wraith standing behind his Queen, too. He bowed his head in a servile manner as she honored him with her attention. Albert didn't know what she was saying to him because they communicated telepathically, but to his concern he could feel the brief look the Commander shot in his direction.

The Wraith had coarse features and rather unkempt dread-locks and Albert couldn't suppress the cold shiver running down his spine.

Todd gestured impatiently with his hand to the city.

“We should go and start with the negotiation”, he stated, coolly, and after one long moment the Queen nodded and strode to the city passing him with her chin lifted up, her followers right behind her.

\---------------------------------

They had spent some hours with unimportant squabble and guarded sizing up until Todd had decided to make a break.

Albert was glad to be able to leave the conference-room for a while and headed for a large balcony enjoying the dawn, the mild air and the silence surrounding him.  
He enjoyed not only the silence around standing alone on the balcony, but the silence in his head, too.

During the last hours he had been telepathically connected with the Commanders of their alliance all of the time to protect all of them, but especially Todd from mental attacks of the Queen.  
Now, he had withdrawn himself from this mental bond because he was rather sure that Todd would be able to fight against those possible attacks with the support from Raven and Kilian.

The Queen had powerful mental abilities but she would probably not be able to use them against three Commanders which had strong abilities by themselves. And there was Teyla Emmagan in the conference-room, too, and she would surely support the Commanders if it were about to be necessary.

Albert needed the break, badly, and Raven had briefly nodded in his direction when Albert had told him that he would like to withdraw himself for a while.  
Raven knew the reason behind his wish and Albert was grateful that Raven always showed his understanding making it possible for Albert to do so if he needed to.

Albert stood on the balcony, musing about the last hours. He really didn't think that they would come to an agreement. He even wasn't sure about the real motives of that Queen.  
It seemed that she was trying to get more Hives under her control with joining the alliance because she only had three Hives under her rule. Of course, she hadn’t said that but for Albert this seemed to be the strongest motive for her request.

But it was very unlikely that she would be successful. Todd would never allow someone else to take charge of the alliance and his twelve Hives. And he would never ever acknowledge a Queen as his ruler.

He had lived too many years without being under the command of a Queen to do that.  
And he already had shown his great skills with having the command on his own.

None of the other eleven Commanders would accept a change of the command, willingly, too. Their alliance worked quite well and everybody was content with their status as it was.

When Todd had banded the twelve Hives together to an alliance he had been very carefully to only accept those Hives which were well-functioning without a Queen.

And all of the eleven Commanders had been getting used to have a male superior who appreciated their opinions and treated them as equals instead of being under the totalitarian rule of a Queen, very fast. None of them would give that up, freely.

They accepted the necessity of having one person being in charge of the twelve Hives and they all were agreeing that Todd was the best choice to do that.  
But on their Hives, they were the one having the command and Todd had never seen the necessity to control the other Hives and their daily concerns more than he absolutely needed to.  
In opposite, the Commanders gifted him with their loyalty and trust.

John Sheppard who had only bad experiences with Queens himself, had once admitted to Albert that he had been very surprised at the beginning about how many male Wraith actually didn't appreciate to be ruled by a Queen.  
He had been believing that the wish to obey and submit to a Queen was deeply integrated in the genes of every male Wraith and it had been a great surprise to him when he had found out that there were a lot of Wraith who didn't want to live that way.

Albert suddenly heard a sound coming from behind and turned around.

The Commander from the Queen's Hive stepped onto the balcony making his way up to him slowly. Albert could feel himself getting nervous.  
The Commander was tall and hulking built and he came to him like a big cat watching its prey.

Albert had already noticed during the negotiation that the Commander had been watching him but he had thought that the Queen had given him the order to do so because of his strong mental forces.

Now, he knew that he had been wrong. The look the Commander shot him was hard to dismiss. He looked at him hungrily and eagerly and Albert knew what that look included.

Albert stiffened, lifting his chin. He knew that he wouldn't be able to defeat him in close combat. He only could try to defeat him with his mental force or try to call for help telepathically.  
He felt uncomfortable with this thought and suppressed his wish to do so. First, he would try to withstand the coarse Wraith by himself.

To his disappointment, the Commander didn't try to contact his mind.  
He probably knew that Albert' s mental abilities were stronger than his and he had chosen to use his bodily strength instead.  
And he also knew that Albert wouldn't contact his mind by himself, freely. Albert could feel a cold shiver running down his back at this thought and pushed it away, immediately.

The Commander sensed his inner struggles and grinned, maliciously.

“You will adorn my bed very well”, he growled, hoarsely and eagerly, grabbing Albert' s arm.

“I surely won't do that. I don't wish to share your bed with you, Commander”, Albert replied, forcing the words out of his mouth, carefully making sure that he wasn't the one breaking the complicated Wraith-rules of politeness and appropriate behavior. He really didn't want to be the one having to pay compensation at the end.

That would have been the cause if he was not using the correct form of address or title for example.

In the dominant Wraith-culture with its strict hierarchy every elder Wraith, especially being the Commander of a Hive, had the right to give the order to a younger one to share his bed to satisfy his needs.  
The concept of rape by taking an unwilling younger Wraith in their bed was unknown in the Wraith-culture. It was common practice.

Albert had learned that it was different in the human culture and he knew that none of the Commanders of the alliance allowed that practice on their Hives because of the alliance with Atlantis.

The only one standing above a Commander of a Hive was the Queen. But Albert was sure that the Queen knew about the intentions of her Commander and had given him her approval.

The only two facts protecting Albert right now was that he belonged to another clan and that he was the head-scientist of this clan. Officers normally outranked scientists, but because of being from another clan he was able to turn the 'offer' down at first.

Unfortunately, the Commander could try to push his 'offer' through with a fight and Albert would never be able to defeat him in close combat.

The only solution to avoid that fight would have been the claim of another Commander with the same ranking towards him, but there was no-one...

Albert swallowed. Such kind of conflicts had caused wars between different Hives destroying many of them during the thousands of years.

“Oh, I'm sure you will, Albert”, the strange Commander drawled his human name letting it sound like an insult while his eyes traveled hungrily over Albert' s slender figure.

Albert could feel his anger rising. He would rather die than let the coarse and malicious Wraith claim him.

“I don't agree with your wish to claim me, Commander. You're not from the same clan and I won't accept your offer!” He stated as convincingly as he could manage.

The Wraith growled, pulling Albert closer to him. Albert tried to fight against him as best as he could but the other Wraith was much stronger. He shoved Albert against the railing and trapped him between the railing and his hulking body to make sure that Albert could not get away from him.

  
He bent his head to Albert' s neck trying to set his claim on him by leaving a mark.

  
Albert desperately fought against him.

“Lay your hands off him, Commander!”

The voice wasn't loud, astonishing low and calm, instead, but it was definitely an order.

The Commander rumbled and turned around without letting Albert go.

  
Albert could see Kilian standing on the balcony nearby, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't take his eyes off of the Commander, the clear warning on his features not to dismiss.

“Lay your hands off him, Commander. He already has declined your 'offer'.”

“He can't decline it. I outrank him”, the Commander hissed, hoarsely and annoyed because someone had been disturbing him right before he had set his claim.

Kilian considered the other Wraith, mockingly. Kilian was tall built himself, but not as hulking as the Queen's Commander. But he didn't look like he was caring about that.

“He doesn't belong to your clan and he's our head-scientist. And apart from that, he's not allowed to agree to your offer because there's someone who has offered his claim towards him before”, Kilian stated, unmoved.

Albert gazed at him, completely stunned. Who was that someone supposed to be?

“I see. And who is it?” The Commander asked, angry and disappointed, seeing his hopes are dashed.

Kilian watched the other Wraith with clear contempt in his eyes.

“It's me. I'm the one who offered his claim to him earlier”, he remarked, quietly without looking at Albert. He was totally focused on the other Commander.

“You are younger and have only one Hive under your command.” The other Wraith wasn't about to give up so soon.

“I belong to his clan, so the age doesn't matter. And my Hive is in charge over three other Hives, so I'm the Commander-in-chief of four Hives. That turns your offer down.”

“There's no mark on his neck. You could be lying.” The Commander didn't dare to check that statement telepathically, he probably knew that he would have no chance against his young opponent.

Finally, Kilian looked at Albert, directly, for the first time since he had stepped onto the balcony.

“Do you agree with my offer to set my claim on you, Albert?” When Kilian used his name it sounded more like a caress instead of an insult.

Albert swallowed. He didn't know what to do and gazed at the young Commander uncertainly. Desperately, he pressed his lips to a thin line, not knowing what to say.

The other Commander noticed his uncertainty and a triumphantly grin spread upon his ugly features.

Albert saw the grin and took a deep breath.

“Yes, Commander, I agree to your offer to claim me”, he answered, huskily.


	4. Claiming Ownership

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albert had to agree to Kilian's request to set his claim on him because of the ugly Commander!  
> What will happen now? Will Kilian really set his claim on him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a lot of fun thinking about my Wraith and their culture. I'm sure that they are totally different from the humans and the human's culture.  
> Wraith live for thousands of years and their culture is at least more than ten thousands of years old. I think that there is a lot to write about them... 
> 
> I hope that you have fun reading about my Wraith.
> 
> It would be nice to get feedback from you and I would be glad to get inspirations or comments from you if you like my stories or not!
> 
> As always - thanks to my Beta!

For one long moment, there was only silence.

Albert was still trapped between the railing and the other Wraith, suddenly feeling completely wrung out and exhausted which was really uncommon for a freshly fed Wraith.

He didn't believe what he just had said a few seconds before and he swallowed, desperately. The day had been so good - when had it started that things were going all the wrong way? What was he supposed to do right now?

Kilian gazed at the Commander, again. The other Wraith had loosened his grip but was still grabbing Albert's arm.

“Take. Your. Hands. Off. My. Consort.” Kilian spoke in a low but very cold voice.

The Commander growled, disappointed, but he let Albert go, hesitantly. It seemed that Kilian was actually impressing him.

Kilian slowly made his way to Albert and the other Commander. His arms were now hanging down at his sides, relaxed, but he looked like a big cat hunting its prey.

Albert suddenly realized that he had thought the same about the other Wraith earlier, but he had to admit that Kilian was much more elegant and beautiful than the Wraith-Commander of the Queen who had tried to take him against his will.

Albert blinked, confused and surprised about himself and his musings. Kilian was also taking him against his will – Albert hadn't wanted a mate, at least no Wraith – but Albert seemed to have no choice and the young Commander from their alliance was clearly the much better choice than the Queen's Commander.

And he was handsome and kind – in opposite to the other Wraith. Kilian was beautiful and attractive and Albert knew that many other Wraith and even humans looked at him with longing glances.

But the most important thing was that Kilian surely wouldn't find it pleasurable and satisfying to cause him pain when he would take him. The hulking Commander seemed to enjoy his discomfort and probably would enjoy his fear and pain, too.

The tall built Wraith stepped back, growling, but he didn't try to question Kilian's claim any longer.

Kilian gestured to the balconydoor, imperiously.

“Leave me alone with my consort, Commander”, he ordered.

The other Wraith hesitated for one moment, but then he shot Albert a short glance full of hate and anger and turned around.

He made his way to the door and left, his coat swinging around his legs.

Kilian watched him disappear before he turned his attention back to Albert.

He considered the young scientist, frowning.

“What did you think when you decided to go here all alone, Albert?” He asked, coolly.

Albert stared at the young Commander who now was his mate, completely in shock.

“Excuse me?” He inquired, disbelievingly and stunned. Kilian had taken him as his consort against his will and now dared to reproach him for his wish to have some time of his own?  
He opened his mouth to answer him, angrily, but Kilian shut him up with an impatient gesture.

“Damn it, Albert! You're one of the most intelligent persons I know, but your naivety is hardly to break! Don't tell me that you didn't notice the looks he gave you the whole time during the negotiation!”

Kilian crossed his arms over his chest again and considered Albert, shaking his head.

“I thought that his Queen had given him the order to do so”, Albert murmured, flatly. Kilian returned his gaze, disbelievingly.

“You're kidding me, Albert, right? He undressed you with his eyes!” Kilian sounded almost desperate, as if he were not able to believe that Albert really was that naive.

Albert hung his head, exhausted, feeling paralyzed.

“What now?” He finally whispered with resignation.

Kilian watched him for a while, his expression impassive, his arms still crossed over his chest. Albert uncomfortably shifted his weight under the intensive stare.

“Now I'll set my claim on you, Albert. I will leave my mark on you”, he said after a while, almost unmoved.

Albert bit his lip. “Is that really necessary?” He asked, subdued.

“You can't be serious, Albert. You know what will happen if I don't do it. Do you prefer to be with him?”

Albert could feel a cold shiver running down his spine.

“No, I don't”, he answered, trying to fight against the rising panic.

“Fine.” Kilian came to him until he was able to touch Albert. Slowly, he raised his hand, lifting Albert's chin, gently.

Albert gazed into the Commander's golden eyes which were looking at him with a strange expression. He took a deep breath and tried to relax.

“I'm ready”, he said, hoarsely, clearing his throat.

Kilian smiled a little bit melancholy, caressing Albert's lips with his thumb.

“No, Albert, you're not. But you have no other choice, I'm sorry”, he replied, softly, tilting Albert's head gently to the side.

Albert closed his eyes, steeling himself for the inevitable.

Wraith had only a few sensitive spots on their bodies, one of them placed on their necks at the side of the throat. That was one of the places Wraith were actually vulnerable and the spot a Wraith could leave a mark visible for others for several days. This mark showed other Wraith that the marked one was claimed by one special Wraith and not available any longer.

Apart from that, it was a very erogenous zone, too, and the act of marking normally was a very intimate and arousing act for both of the Wraith taking its place mostly during the mating.

Not on a balcony during the interruption of a negotiation and because another Wraith had forced them to do this.

Albert instinctively stiffened as Kilian bent his head to his throat placing his mouth on the sensitive spot on his neck without hesitation.

“Hush, Albert, everything's fine”, Kilian murmured at his throat, blowing softly over the smooth skin.

Albert shivered, and this time, it was not in fear.

Kilian pressed his lips on the skin, gently, and Albert relaxed, hesitantly.

Kilian had been waiting for this moment and when he felt Albert relaxing, he bit down.

 

\---------------------------------------------------

 

Albert arched his back, surprised and gasped for air. His hands groped helplessly for something to hold on, until he felt Kilian's jacket underneath his fingers, holding onto the garment as if it was a life line.

He moaned as Kilian carefully but relentlessly sank his teeth into the smooth skin and then began to suck on the sensitive spot.

Electric jolts of pleasure were running through his whole body and his knees began to buckle.

Instinctively, he tilted his head further to the side to give the young Commander better access.

Kilian growled at his neck as he felt Albert giving in, digging the fingers of his feeding hand into Albert's silky white mane to hold his head in place.

He wrapped his other arm around Albert's waist, pulling him nearer until they were leaning against the railing pressed close together.

Albert wrapped his arms around Kilian's shoulders although he actually didn't want to do so, digging his fingers in the nap of Kilian's neck pressing his head even closer to his throat.

Kilian sucked on his throat until Albert was quite sure that he couldn't take it any longer. He whimpered, painfully aroused and he bucked his hips against Kilian's body, desperately searching for release from this sweet torture.

He could feel the other Wraith's arousal and pressed himself closer to the strong body, demanding and needy.

Kilian licked with his agile tongue over the visible mark he had left again and again, sending more jolts of pleasure through Albert's body and Albert suppressed a strangled cry.

Albert knew that there could be someone coming up to the balcony every second, but he had to admit, being deeply ashamed about this that he didn't care.

Nothing existed except the young Commander pushing him against the railing setting his claim upon him relentlessly and irreversible until Albert's world was completely focused on the mouth at his throat and the strong body pressed against him.

And then it was over.

Albert whimpered in protest as Kilian lifted his head up, gently pushing him away from himself. He was breathing hard and his body was burning with unfulfilled desire.

Kilian caressed his cheek, tenderly. His pupils were dilated and dark, showing his own arousal.

“I'll wait for you inside, Albert. We have to go back”, he said huskily and turned around.

Albert watched him leave, stunned, as Kilian made his way to the door without looking back and finally disappeared.

Albert stood on the balcony, speechless and painfully aroused while the spot on his throat where Kilian had left his claim visible for everyone was throbbing, heavily.

He leaned at the railing, fighting against his arousal with effort, trying to scrape the last pieces of his dignity and self-control together.

After what felt like an eternity to him he supposed to be ready to face the others again and followed Kilian, lifting his chin with defiance.

 

\---------------------------------------------------

 

The negotiation would go on and he had to be a part of it if he wished to or not.

Kilian had been waiting for him inside. He stood at the door in his usual manner, his hands clasped behind his back without moving.

Albert made his way to him, hesitantly. Kilian turned his head and smiled at him. He seemed to have regained his self-control again, completely, and Albert pressed his lips to a thin line, feeling annoyed and helplessly.

Kilian's smile deepened as he noticed the defiance in the eyes of his reluctant consort, but he didn't say anything.

Instead, he asked in a friendly and neutral voice:

“Are you ready to go back and join the negotiation again, Albert?”

Albert nodded. “Of course, Commander Kilian”, he forced himself to say. Kilian sighed.

“You are my consort now, Albert. It's not appropriate for you to call me 'Commander'. You have used my name without the title before and I think that it can't be that hard for you to do it again, Albert”, he replied, sincerely. “Do you really want to give the Queen's Commander any reason to question my claim on you again?”  
Albert lowered his head. “No, of course not”, he whispered, unhappily.

The thought of going back to the others who would be able to see the mark on his neck immediately and probably question him about it left him choking with fear.

Kilian placed his hand on his shoulder, the touch soft and calming.

“No-one will ask questions. They already know. I informed Commander Todd and Commander Raven about the occurrences. Come on, Albert. There's nothing you have to be ashamed about.”

Albert swallowed. Kilian was right. To be the consort of a Commander was an honor, not a disgrace. And Kilian was the third of the ranking in their alliance, at least unofficially, and to be the consort of such a respected Commander was it even more.

Only - he hadn't wanted a consort. Not now. Not this way – forced by another Wraith, who was ugly and cruel leaving him no other choice.

But Kilian was right. He had been careless and owed Kilian his loyalty and thankfulness for saving him. Kilian surely hadn't wanted a consort himself and it wasn't fair to be angry with him, no matter how much everything inside him fought against his new position.

“Of, course, Kilian, I'm sorry.” He took a deep breath. “I want to thank you for saving me”, he added in a low voice.

Kilian looked at him with an expression in his eyes Albert could not quite interpret.

“I don't want your thankfulness, Albert”, he answered, sounding resigned. “Let's go. The break is over and the negotiation is going on.”

Albert nodded and went back to the others, side by side with his consort.

 

\-------------------------------------------------

 

Later, Albert didn't know how he had manged to get through the following hours.

No-one had said anything when they came back to the conference-room but Albert had been very aware of Cameron's glance as his friend looked at him with consternation and helpless anger, his hands curled into fists.

Of course, he knew that the anger wasn't directed against himself and he tried to find the right words to say something to his friend to calm him down, but his mind was all blank and he felt paralyzed and unable to speak.

The Commanders of their alliance let nothing show, but the Queen shot him a sharp and annoyed look and Albert now was quite sure that she had known about her Commander's intentions and given her approval to him.

Maybe she even had instigated him to do so for being able to take the control over the alliance this way.

If the Queen's Commander had managed to become the consort of the head-scientist of the alliance, the affiliation to another clan wouldn't have mattered any longer.

Albert could feel his knees begin to buckle when he realized the real consequence of the last occurrences.

Kilian had been right. He had acted real stupid. His wish to have some time of his own had endangered the whole alliance and Atlantis. He even didn't dare to think about what could have happened if Kilian hadn't come to rescue him.

The other Commander would have had the right to know all of his knowledge and he would have had the right to bond with him telepathically without Albert's willingness.

Albert sat down on his chair and struggled hard to keep his self-control. Suddenly, there was a warm hand on his shoulder and he looked up. Kilian stood by his side, smiling at him, reassuringly. Albert was grateful as he felt the young Commander's quiet confidence calming him down.  
And for the first time in his life, he contacted the brothers of the alliance with his mind searching for their comfort and their strength.

They welcomed him friendly and Albert relaxed, regaining some of his self-confidence, although he could sense the hateful glances the Queen's Commander shot him all the time.

Kilian left his hand lying on his shoulder. He stood behind Albert's chair during the whole negotiation, his hand on his shoulder a clear sign for everyone to see to whom Albert belonged from now on and in the future.

Albert felt surprisingly comfortable and save in the mental bond with his brothers as they shared their strength and confidence with him and he swallowed, gratefully.

Maybe things weren't as bad as he had thought.

 

\----------------------------------------

 

After more hours of exhausting discussions they made a break, again.  
The human negotiation-party was not able to stay awake for such a long time and Todd declined the Queen's demand to negotiate with her without his human allies.

“We are allied and we are all equal, I won't discuss the topics with you without Colonel Sheppard, Colonel Mitchell and Mr. Woolsey, Lady”, he declared, coolly.  
“And you will stay at your Hive during the break.”

She stared at him, obviously very annoyed. “Why not here in Atlantis?” She hissed, angrily.

“You could try to influence some of the inhabitants. That will be much harder for you if you'll stay on your Hive.”

“You don't trust me”, she said, sounding hurt.

“No, Lady. And considering the last incident – I have no reason to do so.”

Todd briefly looked at her Commander who was standing behind her chair staring at Albert like a big hungry cat watching its unattainable prey.

She narrowed her eyes. “My Commander has had every right to set his claim on your scientist, Commander”, she justified herself, but her voice sounded a little bit unsure.

“I don't agree with you, Lady”, Todd remarked, coolly. “And I have to question your real intentions after that incident. Please go back to your Hive.”

He turned to his second. “Commander, would you please accompany our guests to their scout-ship?” He ordered Raven to make sure that the Queen would leave Atlantis during the adjournment.

Raven bowed his head, slightly. “Of course, Commander.” He gestured to the door. “Lady, please come with me.”

She lifted her head up high and headed for the door, her followers in tow. Raven grinned with a grim expression on his face instead of his usual impassive mask and followed her, too, together with Alexandros and some of his drones.

Todd nodded to the three humans. “John, Cameron, Mr.Woolsey, time for a break. You should get some rest.” The three men nodded in unison and left the room together.

Todd gestured to Justinius. “We have some things to talk about, Justinius”, he stated and Justinius bent his head with a brief smirk because Todd had called him by his name without the title. He knew that it wasn't meant as an offense, it showed more that his superior really considered his Commanders as equals.

Todd turned to Kilian and Albert. Kilian hadn't moved and still stood behind Albert's chair, his hand placed on his shoulder.

“You should go with him to his quarter, Kilian. We will take care that no-one will be able to come to you and disturb you, Albert”, he said, almost gently.

Albert swallowed. “Thank you, Commander”, he replied, huskily. He had withdrawn himself from the mental contact when the Queen had left and he was grateful that Kilian had respected his retreat.

He stood up, feeling tired and wrung out and tried not to think about what would happen in the next few minutes. Earlier, when Kilian had set his claim on him, he had been painfully aroused, crazy with need and desire but now, he only felt tired and exhausted. The thought of sharing his bed with Kilian frightened him and he desperately tried to prepare himself for the inevitable.

Kilian walked with him to his quarter in silence, his hand still on his back. He didn't contact him telepathically and he didn't speak and Albert questioned himself if he had done something to make Kilian angry with him.

Kilian came to halt in front of the door of Albert' s quarter and laid his hand under Albert' s chin. Albert cleared his throat and gazed at him, unsure.

Kilian smiled softly at him. “I wish you good night, Albert. You should try to relax and get some rest. He won't be able to come near you, I promise you. You're safe here.”

“Thank you.” Albert cleared his throat, again. “Don't you want to come inside? I thought you would....” He didn't know what to say and went silent.

“Do you want me to come inside, Albert?” Kilian asked, gently.

Albert swallowed, unsure what to do or what to say.

Kilian caressed the smooth skin on his cheek with his thumb.

“I will wait until you actually ask me to come inside. I don't find it pleasurable to share my bed with an unwilling partner.”

He considered Albert for a while, resigned and intently.

“And I would prefer that you think of me instead of someone else when we sleep together, Albert.” He pressed a light kiss on Albert's forehead and went away without looking back.


	5. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kilian has left his mark on Albert. Now Albert needs to figure out what he really wants.  
> And Todd and John need to negotiate with the Queen. Will they be successful?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit that I actually didn't like Wraith-Queens.  
> But there was someone who told me that I should think about my reservations against Queens.  
> And I did because after thinking about that I knew this person was right. So this Queen will be a nice one. But I still worry about her Commander!
> 
> And as always - thank you liz_mo!

Albert stood in the entrance of the cafeteria, and for the first time in the three years he was visiting this place, he was afraid to go inside.

Everybody would see the mark on his neck Kilian had left there the evening before, because the collar of his coat was not high enough to hide this mark. And in spite of that, it wasn't appreciated in the Wraith-culture to hide those signs of claiming and Albert's behavior would be questioned if he was trying to do so.

His radio had woken him up after a short night. He had been restless, although he had felt exhausted and wrung out, and his sleep had been light. First, he had thought that the buzz was coming from someone standing at the door of his quarter, but then he had realized that his radio was beeping.

“Yes?” He tried to ward off the dizziness and cleared his throat. “Yes, Albert here?” He asked again.

“Good morning, Albert”, he could hear Kilian's soft and dark voice through the radio.

“Good morning, Kilian”, Albert replied, guardedly. He felt unsure and confused as he heard the voice of his mate coming through the radio.

“The negotiation will start in about an hour again. I thought you probably would like to drink some coffee with Rodney in the cafeteria first”, Kilian said, softly. “That's why I called you.”

Albert cleared his throat, again. “Thank you, Kilian. That was very kind of you.”

“You're welcome. I will pick you up in the cafeteria in an hour, Albert.”

And now, he was standing in the door and was afraid to go inside.

Unsure, he looked around, relieved when he noticed Rodney waving at him. He swallowed. Rodney was a close friend, even one of his best friends, but Rodney surely would ask him about the mark on his neck and Rodney most of the time spoke in a very loud voice.

He sighed, taking a deep breath. He might not have wanted a mate who was setting his claim on him, but there was really no reason to be ashamed about being Kilian's consort.

He stepped into the room turning to join the back of line, but Rodney waved at him, pointing to the pot and the cup standing on his table.

He swallowed, making his way to Rodney and stealing himself for the questions Rodney surely would ask when he saw his neck.

“Good morning, Rodney”, he greeted him, guardedly. Rodney smiled at him.

“Good morning, Albert. How do you feel after yesterday evening?” Rodney spoke in a very low and genuinely concerned voice, considering his friend attentively.

Albert looked at him with astonishment. “You know about yesterday?” He asked, cautiously.

Rodney nodded. “Yes, I know”, he answered, grimly, but still in a low voice.

Albert felt deeply grateful that his friend didn't behave in his usual manner. He swallowed, touched, feeling happy that he had such good friends.

Rodney poured him a cup of coffee. “Is there anything we can do, Albert?” He asked, surprisingly soft.

Albert shook his head. “No, I'm afraid there's nothing you can do, Rodney.” He managed a crooked smile. “It's an honor to have a mate like him, Rodney”, he replied, hoarsely.

Rodney snorted. “Kilian is great - that's not the point, Albert. But you didn't want a mate if I remember correctly? At least not Kilian?”

Albert lowered his head and took his cup in both hands.

“Our laws are very different from yours, Rodney. The Commander has changed some of them on our Hives for the sake of the alliance, but dealing with another Wraith-clan we have to go with our own laws, Rodney. I can do nothing against it. Kilian has not only saved me, but the whole alliance. I have been acting really careless and stupid and I owe him my thankfulness and my loyalty, Rodney. I won't put him to shame by trying to fight against it.”

Rodney watched him with a strange expression on his face.

“To be honest, I don't think that thankfulness and loyalty are the things he really wants from you, Albert”, he said, thoughtfully.

Albert swallowed, remembering that Kilian had said the same the last evening.  
But what was it that he wanted from him? He hadn't set his claim on him because he really had wanted him as his consort, but because there hadn't been another way to save him and the alliance from damage, or not?

Confused, he lifted his cup up to his mouth, sipping from his coffee. Rodney watched him a while longer, silently, before he opened his mouth to speak again.

“Do you'll stay on his Hive now, being his consort?” Albert could tell by the sound of Rodney's voice that his friend didn't like that thought.

“If Kilian wants me to, I will, Rodney”, he replied, quietly.

He could have told him that Kilian wasn't his mate irrevocably by now. He had set his claim on him, but Albert only would have become his real chosen consort if they had mated yesterday – what they hadn't done. But something inside him resisted admitting that Kilian hadn't insisted on mating with him yesterday.

Didn't the young Commander want him? Wasn't he handsome enough? Had he said something wrong on the balcony or behaved the wrong way as Kilian had left his mark on him?  
He frowned, irritated. Why did he think about that? He actually was glad that Kilian hadn't insisted on mating with him yesterday – or not?

“Is everything okay with you, Albert?” Rodney's concerned voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Yes, Rodney. Everything's fine, thank you.” He tried to give his friend a reassuring smile.

Rodney sighed. “I don't think that he will force you to stay on his Hive, at least not now. Your well-being is really important to him, Albert”, he remarked, quietly and Albert looked at his friend, confused.

“What do you mean, Rodney?” He asked, cautiously.

Rodney considered him, sincerely. “Everybody who knows you at least a little bit also knows that you only feel comfortable on your own Hive or in Atlantis. And of course, Kilian knows that, too. I'm sure that he will give you the time you need to get used to the thought of staying on his Hive.”

  
He looked at the door. “And here he's coming. I think the negotiation starts again.”

Albert looked at the entrance to the cafeteria, too. His heart began to beat a little bit faster as he saw the young Commander coming up to him with his elegant moves, certainly to pick him up for the negotiation.  
He noticed the glances some of the other visitors shot his companion.

Glances full of curiosity and admiration, not full of fear or disgust – what everybody would surely expect, coming from humans watching a Wraith.

But that also had changed within the last three years.

Every Wraith of the alliance was welcome in Atlantis and wouldn't be observed or guarded any longer. They didn't have to stay in a cell overnight and could go wherever they wanted to go.

And Albert was quite sure that some of the inhabitants would have been glad to follow John Sheppard's and Cameron's example and take a Wraith as a mate as well.

He felt a strange stab in his heart when he saw the looks the visitors shot Kilian and to his surprise, he comprehended that he was both annoyed and delighted at the same time about the fact that so many people were attracted to his companion.

Kilian was his mate now - at least it was what the others were thinking. He only had to get used to this thought and to decide what he really wanted and then, everything would be alright.

\--------------------------------------

This time, Kilian wasn't standing behind his chair. This time, he was sitting at his right side and Albert felt more save with Kilian at his side again, although the young Commander didn't touch him.

The Queen had already been in the conference-room when he had stepped into the room with Kilian. Her Commander was standing behind her chair as he had done the day before, but he had only shot him a quick grim look and the Queen had nodded at him, graciously.

Colonel Sheppard, Cameron and Mr. Woolsey were sitting at his left side. Todd and Justinius were sitting next to the three human men. Raven and Alexandros sat next to the Queen, Raven at her right side, Alexandros at her left side. She probably knew the reason behind their behavior, but she hadn't protested and she didn't seem to mind.

  
She seemed to have changed her mind at all, because she didn't behaved the way she had the day before and she wasn't as commanding as she had been at the beginning.

Todd had noticed that with satisfaction as well and he gestured with his off-hand to Justinius.

“Commander Justinius has worked out a temporary contract, My lady. The terms of the contract will be specified if you agree to them”, he said to the Wraith-Queen.

This time, he used the more polite address, even when he didn't acknowledge her as his Queen. She nodded to him and her beautiful face lost some of the tension, she had showed the whole time.

“You may speak, Commander”, she requested the slim Wraith sitting next to Todd and with a tablet lying on the desk in front of him. He only took a brief look at the tablet before he began to speak.

“The occurrences from yesterday have persuaded us to present this offer to you, My lady”, he began to speak after he had bowed slightly in her direction, shooting her Commander a brief look.

“Instead of an instant entry into our alliance, we want to offer a cooperation with our alliance to you.”

She frowned, but she didn't interrupt the Commander.

“If it comes down to it that you have a conflict with another clan, we will support you and in case of an attack we will come to your help. As a counter to that, you will support us if we will be attacked, too.  
We will inform you about our research and if you will proof that you are trustworthy, we will involve you in our research as well.  
You will support the planets allied with us and inform us if there are other clans which are preparing to attack them.  
You will join our negotiations as an observer and we will give you the right to have a say in that negotiations depending on your trustworthiness. This right to have a say can lead to a full membership in our alliance.”

Justinius went silent, considering the Queen guardedly while she looked at him, first and then turned to face Todd.

Albert had contacted his brothers telepathically when he had entered the room and he could feel Kilian's amusement while they were waiting for her to say something to this offer.

  
Cautiously, he turned to look at him, and Kilian returned his gaze with a light smile. They looked at each other for one long moment and Albert had the feeling as if the young Commander's golden eyes were able to see deep inside his soul. His heart was beating faster and he swallowed, unsure and embarrassed as he felt his body react to this intimate moment. Kilian's gaze was like a caress and his smile deepened, sensing and smelling Albert's arousal and desire.

  
Albert was grateful that the other Commanders in their bond simply ignored this intimate moment between them, something that younger Wraith wouldn't have been able to do.  
Ashamed, he looked away and concentrated on the Queen's words as she began to speak.

“I agree to your offer, Commander.” She smiled, slightly and gazed to the other Commanders who were obviously such an integrated whole.

“You have been able to create something extraordinarily and I hope that this cooperation will lead to a real alliance someday, Commander.”

Todd smiled, briefly, and he bowed his head. Not as deep as he would have done at his Queen, but deeper than he had done the whole time before.

“I hope so, too, My lady”, he answered, sincerely, looking at John Sheppard who nodded to him before turning to face the Queen.

“Very well. Then we will now discuss the topics to make sure that both your rights will be respected and our rights, as well”, he remarked, sounding a little bit provocatively.

The Queen smiled at him, too. Briefly, but without condescension.

“Of, course, Colonel Sheppard. Wraith and humans are equals in this cooperation, aren't they?”

\---------------------------------------------

The contract had been negotiated and signed. After the Queen's agreement, the discussions about the topics had been constructive and successful, quickly.

Albert felt relieved that the negotiation was over now and that he could go back to his research, soon, without having a strange and ugly Wraith looking hungrily at him all of the time.

They accompanied the Queen to her scout-ship to say goodbye to her. They would stay in contact but there was no reason for her to stay in Atlantis any longer.

  
Albert had to admit that he admired the Queen, although he had had a lot of reservations about her, first. She had been able to adjust to the circumstances which must have been new to her, quickly, and she was willing to try something new and unfamiliar. Albert was quite sure that other, elder Queens wouldn't have been able to do so.

  
She seemed to be rather young and she was not only very beautiful, but intelligent and flexible, too. Maybe, this cooperation was really good for the alliance.  
Only her Commander still frightened Albert and he wondered about the fact that a Queen like her had such a coarse and ugly Commander, who even didn't seem to agree to their contract.

When they arrived at the pier, the Queen turned around and looked at Albert. Suddenly, he could feel her in his head, but it was no forceful penetrating, more a soft question.

'I want to apologize to you, Albert' he could hear her thought, before she retreated from his mind again.

  
She smiled at him, briefly, before she turned away, climbing into her scout-ship with her followers in tow.

Albert stood at the pier and watched the ship until it disappeared into the blue sky.

\-------------------------------------------

Albert had withdrawn into Rodney's lab after the Queen's departure, relieved.

  
He hoped that working with the new data would help him to regain his equilibrium he had lost during the last two days caused by the occurrences which had happened then.

Rodney had smiled at him when he stepped into his lab, but he hadn't asked him questions. He only had informed him about his new knowledge of the data. He seemed to sense Albert's inner turmoil respecting his silence, and Albert was very grateful for his empathy.

Kilian had stayed with the other Commanders and had only said that he would come to him later. Albert tried not to think about his impending stay at Kilian's Hive. Kilian had already mentioned before – the incident - that he would like to have Albert with him on the planet with the Wraith-facility and now he had another reason to insist on his wish.

He sighed and Rodney raised his head looking at him, guardedly.

“Is everything okay with you, Albert?” He inquired in a low voice. Albert pressed his lips together.

“I only thought about how much I'll miss you when I'm on Kilian's Hive”, he answered, sadly.

Rodney gazed at him, lost in thoughts. “As I already said to you before – I don't think that he will force you to come with him on his Hive. Your well-being is important to him and he surely will consider your comfort as more important to him than his own wishes”, he replied with sincerity.

“Why are you so sure about that, Rodney?” Albert asked, confused. Rodney briefly smirked, shaking his head about Albert's naivety.

“I really believe that you are the only person who doesn't know how much you mean to Kilian, Albert. He would never force you to do something you don't want to do. And the only reservation you have about him is that he is Wraith like you yourself. You're so fixated with becoming more human that you object to all what could make you more Wraith-like than you already are. I just don't know why you do this.”

Albert stared at his friend, speechless and completely in shock. Rodney had never talked to him like that before. He desperately searched for an answer when he heard a sound coming from the door.

Rodney and he himself turned around at the same time, seeing Kilian standing in the entrance of the lab. He carried something in his hand Albert couldn't really detect and watched them in silence. Albert swallowed, uncertainly. How much had Kilian been able to hear of what Rodney had said to him?

Kilian slowly made his way across the lab, his face completely impassive so Albert couldn't tell what he was thinking. Hesitantly, he tried to contact his mind but Kilian refused him access to his thoughts, something he had never done before when Albert had bonded with him telepathically, freely, and Albert felt hurt and rejected.

  
He lifted his chin with defiance and crossed his arms over his chest.

Kilian briefly grinned at him, mockingly.

“I came to say goodbye to you, Albert. I will go back to the facility with my Hive for further explorations.”

Rodney shot the Commander a brief look. “I will leave you two alone, Kilian”, he said after a short moment of hesitation. “I'll stay with Jenny and Carson if you're looking for me later, Albert.” He turned around and left before Albert was able to protest.

Albert cleared his throat. “You say goodbye? I thought you wanted me to come with you to that planet”, he said a little bit cockily, still hurt about the mental rejection.

“I think it's better for you to stay on your familiar surroundings for now. And Commander Raven is thinking much the same. Of course, if you wish to come with me – that would change all...” Kilian drawled.

Albert bit his lip, not knowing what to say. Kilian watched him with the impassive mask on his chiseled features.

“I already thought that you don't want to come with me. I will stay away for several weeks, Albert.”

He hesitated, his expression becoming softer.

“I know how hard it is for you, Albert. And I know that you don't want to be my consort, too. We haven't mated and you still have the choice to decline my offer to set my claim on you, if you wish to do so, Albert. You will have some time to think about it until I'll come back to Atlantis. There's something I want you to have. If you decide to wear this when I'm back in Atlantis then it will be clear to me that you really want to be my consort. And if that's so – then I will make you mine, Albert – completely.”

The last sentence came in a low purring voice and Albert could feel a shiver running down his spine listening to those words.

Kilian pushed something in his arms and kissed him softly on his forehead. After that he turned around and left the lab before Albert even had the chance to say something.

Albert looked at what Kilian had handed to him. It was a jacket made in the same style as the jacket Kilian wore himself. Albert stared at the jacket and blinked. The garment was soft and beautiful and for one moment Albert pressed the jacket close, inhaling the slight scent emanating from the jacket – Kilian's scent.

  
For a few seconds, he was overwhelmed by the wish to run after him and ask Kilian to take him to his Hive, but he suppressed his wish with effort.

He had won some more time. Time to think about what he really wanted. Time to come to terms with his confusing feelings for the young Commander.

He took a deep breath and put the jacket to the side, carefully. Then he turned around and concentrated on his work again.


	6. The Hiding Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kilian has left Atlantis and Albert now has to decide what he really wants.  
> But what will happen inbetween?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more action in the next two chapters.  
> Albert discovers something important for the alliance and he has to deal with things he normally tries to avoid...
> 
> I hope you will enjoy it as always!  
> Thanks to my Beta for her help!

**_Two weeks later:_ **

Albert was so lost in thoughts while he walked to the control-room that he almost ran into the two Marines coming around the corner of the corridor.

Like most of the time in the last two weeks since Kilian had left Atlantis, Albert had buried himself in his work and research to distract his mind and his heart from his confusing feelings for the young Commander.

If he was really honest with himself, he had to admit that he was missing Kilian; and he actually missed him more than he would ever have expected.

The Marines hadn't noticed him and Albert could hear their voices as they walked away from him along the corridor.

“You know, Randy I really don't understand why Albert didn't fly with Commander Kilian. The Commander is so hot! I mean, I know that I would never have had any chance to get together with him, but I really don't know why Albert has stayed in Atlantis! How can he prefer to stay here and bury himself in his work instead of lying in the arms of this incredible guy?”

Albert stared in shock at the backs of the two Marines who didn't know that he was a few meters behind and listening to them.

The other Marine shook his head. “Oh Marc! Can you actually think of anything else but sex? Albert is really kind and he deserves to be happy.”

Marc only shrugged. “I'm glad that we are free to live our lives the way we want to here in Atlantis and that we are actually allowed to say what we want to say. On earth it isn't possible although they changed the rules - thank God they finally did! And you're right about Albert. He's very kind. But I think that he would be much happier if he were with Kilian instead of burying himself into his work all of the time. He has this melancholy aura. And I cannot believe that the Commander wouldn't be able to satisfy him or make him happy”, he stated, sighing. “If I was in his place, I would be very happy to have this sexy Commander as my mate.”

Randy laughed, shaking his head again. “You are impossible, Marc, you know that? But I have to agree – Commander Kilian is sexy as hell.”

They walked along the corridor in a casual manner, changing the topic of their conversation as they saw to scientists coming in their direction.

Albert stood in the middle of the corridor, unable to move, watching the two men disappear. The two scientists made their way up to him, greeting him in passing and he automatically greeted them, too.

Slowly he began to walk to the control-room, again where Colonel Sheppard was waiting for him. Colonel Sheppard had contacted him through the radio and asked him to join the meeting he had with Major Lorne and Rodney.

He desperately struggled to bring his emotions back under control, because he rather didn't want the others to notice his inner turmoil. Were the two men right? Did other people really think that he was that unhappy?  
The Marines actually hadn't been unfriendly when they had talked about him, only that he worked all of the time – what he did.  
But unhappy? He had always considered himself as happy and being content with his life until now. Or not? And he had never thought that there was something missing in his life, didn't he?

Albert was totally confused as he entered the control-room and he tried hard to concentrate on the others already waiting for him with effort.

John Sheppard greeted him with a smile just as the others in the room except from Ronon Dex who was also sitting on a chair.

“Colonel Sheppard.” Albert bowed politely his head to his superior's mate and after that he greeted the other persons in the control-room, too.

Major Lorne sat on one of the chairs next to Rodney, then there were also Teyla Emmagan, Dr. Miller whom Albert meanwhile had get to know as well, and Ronon Dex who looked at him with the usual grim expression on his face he always showed when Albert was around.

“Please, sit down, Albert. SGA7 has brought back some advice of the possible hiding place of a ZPM. All of you know that we can't have enough of ZPM and we should go there and have a look”, Sheppard explained the reason for this meeting.

“According to that advice it seems that someone tried to secure this hiding place as best as they could and coded the information for that. One part of the information is in the Ancient-language and the other part in the Wraith-language.  
Todd is on earth with Cameron to inform and calm down the IOA once again; and Raven has to stay on his Hive because we still are on stand-by after the negotiation two weeks ago. So there are only Rodney and you to see to that information – of course, only if you agree to do this, Albert.” Sheppard gazed at Albert, expectantly.

“Of course, I will do this, Colonel Sheppard”, Albert replied. He was not as often on missions as Todd, but to his own surprise he felt more comfortable being on a mission than staying on another Hive for quite some time.

“Very well. Major Lorne and Ronon Dex will secure the mission together with four of our Marines and Teyla and Dr. Miller will join the mission, too, to support you.”

Sheppard pulled a face. “Unfortunately, I have to stay in Atlantis because Todd is on earth..”

Albert could see that he really didn't like that. He grinned, briefly, noticing Major Lorne's content look. Normally, Major Lorne was the one who had to stay in Atlantis doing all the paperwork while John Sheppard was the one going on the mission.

Sheppard had noticed the smug expression on Major Lorne's face as well and shot his second an grim look which Lorne returned with a wide grin.

“Major Lorne also is the one having the strongest Ancient-gene except from me and he therefore is able to support Rodney if this will be necessary. Ronon, I hope that Albert will still be alive when he returns to Atlantis. He's. Not. The. Enemy.”

Sheppard looked at Ronon Dex, intently. Ronon Dex pulled a face, but he nodded without hesitation. “Of course, Colonel Sheppard”, he rumbled.

He might be hating Wraith, but he had accepted the alliance because he was quite able to see the advantages of this alliance for the whole Pegasus-galaxy and being on a mission, he protected every team-member even though the member was Wraith.  
Albert didn't mind his unfriendly behavior because he knew that this behavior wasn't directed against him personally, but against Wraith in general. Ronon acted this way towards every Wraith and Albert knew the reason for this behavior very well. Being in Ronon's place he probably would have done the same.

It didn't matter to Albert that Ronon would join the mission, too. Ronon was a well-trained warrior and it was very reassuring to have him as a backup.

Sheppard explained further details and Rodney and he himself were asking some more questions before they left the control-room to prepare themselves for the mission.

Albert was the first waiting at the Stargate because he always had only a few things to pick up. He didn't need to pack up food or a first-aid-box. And he didn't need a night-viewer or something like that. He only needed his weapons and some clothes.

When he had packed up his stuff he had stared at the jacket Kilian had presented him with for several minutes, but he had decided not to wear it on that mission.

He didn't want the jacket to be damaged before he was really sure whether he would wear the garment at Kilian's return to Atlantis or not.

And it felt wrong to wear it now. If he decided to put on this jacket than Kilian should be the first to see him in the garment he had given to him...

He firmly suppressed his thoughts trying to only focus on the mission. Finding the ZPM was more important than anything else at the moment. Coming to terms with his feelings could wait.

Colonel Sheppard came to him in a casual manner while he waited at the Gate, smiling at him.

“We got a message from the Stardust a few minutes before. On the planet with the facility everything's fine – and on the ships, too.”

Albert returned the smile. “Thank you, Colonel Sheppard”, he replied, quietly.

 

\-----------------------------------

 

Albert's team had gone through the Gate to the planet where they hopefully would find a ZPM. SGA7 had discovered this planet by accident when they had had to get away from an attack of hostile Wraith and had dialed one false chevron because of their rushed escape.

The strange Stargate was placed at a short distance of some very old ruins and the team had noticed immediately that this planet was unknown in Atlantis.

They had decided to make the best of this opportunity and take a look before their return to Atlantis. And by doing this they had found the information of the hidden ZPM.

The planet seemed to have been be abandoned a long time ago and all of them hoped that they could work there without someone showing up while they were searching for the ZPM.

SGA7 had not been sure how far the Wraith who had attacked them would be able to reconstruct the address they had dialed by accident and Sheppard therefore had decided that Ronon and four Marines would join the mission.

To Albert's relief Major Lorne had not chosen the two Marines talking about him before the meeting to join the mission. He was quite sure that he would have not been able to work with them without giving away that he had heard their conversation.

Rodney immediately paved his way through the ruins to the house least destroyed of all buildings in which SGA7 had found the information. No-one of SGA7 was able to read the Wraith-language and so they had concluded to return to Atlantis as fast as they could to make sure that one team being able to decode the information would go to this planet before the Wraith showed up there. Atlantis really needed every ZPM they could get.

Albert followed Rodney while Major Lorne searched the surroundings for enemies with Ronon and the four Marines to make sure that no-one would be able to attack them without warning.

Rodney murmured to himself as he did oftentimes while he studied the inscription on the wall SGA7 had found in that house. The team had been right, one part of the inscription was in an ancient Wraith-dialect. Rodney carried a laptop and frowned looking at the screen.

“What's wrong, Rodney?” Albert asked cautiously as he noticed Rodney's frowning.

“I'm not able to receive signs of energy. Nothing. If a ZPM is here than there has to be something!” Rodney remarked, still staring angrily at his laptop.

“It doesn't have to be here in this building, Rodney. It's possible that only the information is placed here. Or that the ZPM is deactivated or shielded – this could also be an explanation for the lack of energy-signs”, Albert stated, quietly.

Rodney sighed. “You're right, Albert. I just want a ZPM so bad! There were so many times we were looking for a ZPM and every time something went wrong and we didn't get it.”

“I know, Rodney. We're looking for the information now and after that we'll know what we have to do”, Albert tried to encourage his friend.

Rodney only rumbled but then he smiled at Albert, briefly. “Thank you, Albert. I know that I'm too impatient sometimes.”

Albert grinned. “Only if you're looking for a ZPM or if you want to be punctual for Dorothy's bedtime story. You're very patient when you're working.”

They turned to the wall with the inscription at the same time and Rodney began to type on his laptop, murmuring to himself, again.

Albert just stood there for one long moment, fascinated, until he was able to concentrate on the translation of the words painted on the wall.

They worked in silence standing side by side. They were a well-trained team and only needed few words to communicate with each other. Rodney was still murmuring but Albert knew that Rodney did that for better concentration.  
The low murmuring didn't bother Albert, he was able to blend other things out when he was focused on his work, although his Wraith-hearing was much sharper than the hearing of his human companions.

“There has to be a secret hidden place, maybe a laboratory. We have to look for a concealed door or something like that. The ZPM could be there or at least more information”, Rodney suddenly said, stepping a few meters back from the wall to consider it attentively.

Albert nodded. “Yes, I think that this is the information we need to find the lab. The inscription is very old, I'm able to read it, but it will take some time to translate it. It would be good now if the Commander was here, too. I'm sure that he could translate it much easier than me.”

Rodney smiled at him. “You're doing fine, Albert”, he encouraged him. “Even if you're not ten thousand years old. By the way, how old are you?”

It wasn't the first time Rodney had asked him this question. Albert smirked at him. “Younger than the Commander, Rodney”, he answered friendly.

Rodney rolled his eyes and snorted. “Women hide their age much less than you, Albert!”

“That might be true, Rodney. You're tries nevertheless won't be successful.”

Major Lorne interrupted their discussion by coming up to them. He smiled at the two scientists.

“Everything's fine outside. What about the inscription? Are you making progress?”

Albert nodded. “Yes, Major Lorne. Somewhere close to this place has to be a hidden room, a lab or something similar. There could be either more information or even the ZPM itself.”

Rodney looked around, searching. “There are no signs of energy anywhere, but the ZPM could be shielded or switched off. Or it's not here, only the information. It seems that the planet was abandoned a long time ago and that no-one else has been there for decades, maybe even centuries. I think there's a real chance that no-one found the ZPM until now.”

“We should hope that we will find it then”, Major Lorne remarked, thoughtfully.

The Major positioned himself at the entrance of the dilapidated house and Rodney and Albert concentrated on their work again.

When Albert and Rodney suddenly cried out at the same time Major Lorne turned around, frightened.

“What's wrong?” He asked, alarmed, hurrying to the friends.

“That's -that's unbelievable!” Rodney stammered and Albert nodded. “Indeed”, he added, huskily and Major Lorne frowned, impatient and worried.

“What's wrong? Please, tell me for Heaven's sake!” He demanded, impatiently.

Albert and Rodney stared at the wall without answering.

“Rodney!” Major Lorne rarely spoke that loud and annoyed, but this time, he did.

Rodney blinked, trying to pull himself together.

“Obviously, we were not the first who thought to build an alliance between humans and Wraith. And if I'm appraising this right the inscription was painted on this wall about ten thousand years ago during the war with the ancients. I think that a small group of the Ancients and few Wraith allied to avoid more bloodshed. They have been researching together like we do. But the war left them no other choice than to flee from the enemies surrounding them. Before they did, they concealed three ZPM. And those ZPM will only be found when humans with the Ancient-gene and Wraith will ally once again and work together. We will need both – the Ancient-gene and the Wraith-gene to find the hidden place of the ZPM!” Rodney sounded excited and enthusiastic and Albert could only agree. This was really an unexpected discovery.

Major Lorne looked at Albert. “Did you draw the same conclusion from this data, Albert?” He inquired, stunned about this discovery.

“Yes, indeed. I think that the Wraith-inscription says right the same as the inscription in the Ancient-language. There is still more data, maybe the exact information, but one part meant for the Ancients the other part for the Wraith. And only if both parts are working together they will find the solution.”

Rodney swallowed. “Three ZPM! This would be the solution for so many problems! This is incredible!”

Major Lorne smiled. “Then I won't interrupt you any longer and keep you from solving this puzzle”, he remarked and went to the entrance again. Rodney and Albert turned to the inscription on the wall which was only waiting for two hostile species to make peace and find the solution of this mystery together.

After some time Albert detected that he had difficulties with the data which probably included the concrete information of the hiding place.  
It didn't make sense after the first translation and Rodney seemed to have the same problem. Albert could tell that by the way Rodney was frowning and because the murmuring contained some swear-words.

“That doesn't make sense”, Rodney rumbled after a few minutes.

“I have to agree with you, Rodney”, Albert sighed, considering the inscription, confused.

He stepped back to have a better look at the whole wall. As he let his eyes travel over the wall he suddenly noticed a rather small drawing at the edge of the wall and he stepped a little bit closer, considering the drawing attentively.

Albert could feel his heart beating faster with excitement when he comprehended what he had found out.

“Rodney! I think I got it!” He stated with enthusiasm. “Here, look at this drawing. It's small, but I'm able to detect what it is!”

Rodney went his side, trying to see what Albert meant. Major Lorne turned around and came to them, to have a look at the wall, too. “What did you find out, Albert?” He asked, hopefully.

Albert pointed to the drawing. “Here! There are constellations namely how we can see them standing on a certain planet! I think that the ZPMs are hidden on that certain planet. And the data we had difficulties with will make sense when we are on that planet. They surely are coordinates which were coded.”

Rodney gave Albert an excited dig in the ribs. “Albert, you're right! Now we just have to find out which planet it is!” He groaned. “That will be the hardest thing to do!”

Albert chuckled. “I don't think so, Rodney. I know which planet it is”, he stated, amused.

 

\---------------------------------------

 

Rodney and Major Lorne stared at Albert, speechless and stunned.

“You know where the planet is?” Rodney's voice almost cracked.

“Yes, I do. We already know that planet very well.” Albert seemed to find it amusing that Rodney and Major Lorne were totally clueless.

“Albert!” Major Lorne gazed at him, frowning and impatient. Albert apologized with a smile.

“I'm sorry, Major Lorne. But it's just unbelievable! It's the planet with the Wraith-facility! Somewhere in that facility are three hidden ZPM, I'm sure! And this data will help us to find them!” He announced beaming at the two men.

Rodney was just about to say something when Teyla stormed into the house.

“Wraith are coming trough the Gate! They have to be the Wraith who attacked SGA7. It seems that they managed to reconstruct the address. We have to leave before they will find us here. Rodney, Albert? Did you hear me? The Wraith are coming!”


	7. The Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now Albert and his team have to make sure that this important information about the ZPM won't fall into the hands of the hostile Wraith!  
> Will they be able to defeat them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will reveal Albert's secret. The secret why Albert is such an uncommon and special Wraith...
> 
> A million thanks to my incredible Beta for reading this chapter so fast!

For one moment the three of them just stared at Teyla, alarmed.

But after a few seconds Major Lorne said, hastily:  
“Albert, Rodney, you have to leave, immediately and go to the Gate! I will make sure with Ronon and the Marines that the Wraith won't get the information.”

Albert tightened and shook his head. “No, Major Lorne. I will stay with Ronon and you have to try to get to the Gate with Rodney, Teyla, Dr. Miller and the Marines”, he replied, firmly.

“But you are the scientist and...” Major Lorne tried to protest.

Albert interrupted him. “Commander Raven will be able to decode the information, too if something will happen to me. But you and Rodney have the Ancient-gene. If the Wraith will catch you and be able to decode the information – then you already know what will happen!”

Teyla nodded. “Albert is right, Major. Ronon has defeated several Wraith all alone very often. We have to leave before they'll see that we're not SGA7.”

Albert could tell by the expression on Major Lorne's face that he didn't like the thought of leaving Albert and Ronon behind, but he handed the C4 to him and said:  
“You have to destroy the house, Albert. Make sure that they don't get the information. I will send Ronon to you.”

“We will follow you later, Major. Ronon knows how to get rid of them, he has a lot of experience. I'm sure that we will be successful. You have to go now.”

Rodney swallowed and touched Albert's arm before he turned around and hurried outside with Teyla and Major Lorne.

Albert stayed behind and arranged the C4 on several different places in the whole building, so the wall with the inscription would be totally destroyed, when he pressed down the detonator.

He looked up when he heard a sound coming from the outside. Ronon rushed into the house. For a few seconds they just stared at each other.

“Major Lorne informed you, Ronon?” Ronon nodded with a grim look on his face.  
“Yes, he did. I'll make sure that no Wraith will survive”, he growled.

Albert slightly smiled. “I understand”, he said in a low voice. Ronon pressed his lips together. “I didn't mean that I will kill you, Albert”, he hissed, annoyed.  
“Good to know. I have arranged the C4 in the house. We have to take cover and make sure that we will get them all.”

Ronon crept to the entrance. “You don't have scruples to kill your brothers?” He asked, mockingly.

Albert followed him after he had made sure again that the C4 would completely destroy the wall with the inscription.

“They are not my brothers”, he answered, coolly.

Ronon pointed to the ruins next to the house. “You should go to the right side and hide there and I will do the same on the left side. There are seven Wraith coming up here if we are right.”

“If that's so then our chances are not so bad.” Albert turned to the right side and slid into the shadow between the ruins, while Ronon did the same on the other side.

Now they had to wait for the Wraith to come. After a few minutes, they did. They were so sure about their superiority that they weren't as watchful as they actually should be.  
Watching them Albert came to the conclusion that Major Lorne had been able to go past them spaciously and that the Wraith still believed to find here the four men of SGA7. Now Ronon and he himself had simply to make sure that they would kill all of them, preferable with their explosive device.

When the group arrived at the ruins, they spread out over the whole place beginning with the search for the humans. There were three Wraith, either officers or scientists and four drones. Albert felt relieved about that observation because it would be much easier to defeat the drones when the three other Wraith were killed.

One of them got closer to the house with the inscription and Albert withdrew more behind the ruin he had used as a cover to avoid to be seen. The Wraith had a tattoo and therefore had to be a high-ranking officer. Albert caught his breath when the officer disappeared into the house.  
It didn't take long before another of the three Wraith headed to the house, too. Of course, the officer had noticed the inscription and its meaning immediately. Albert grabbed the detonator device firmly with his off-hand and his weapon with his feeding-hand. Two drones got closer to his hiding place from one side and the third Wraith-officer from the other side. The Wraith watchful looked around and Albert knew that they would be much more guarded by now because they hadn't found SGA7.

  
When the Wraith crossed the entrance to the house, Albert suddenly knew that he wouldn't get another chance like that and he pressed down the button of the detonator while he curled himself together as best as he could at the same time.  
He only hoped that Ronon would be far away enough and that he would survive the explosion without too much damage.

There was a terrible noise and then all around him became dark and dusty when the building crashed over the three Wraith.

 

\-------------------------------------------------

 

When the dust finally had faded, Albert cautiously lifted his head up. The house had collapsed completely and he could see no-one moving under the rubble. Albert looked around and tried to find the drones suppressing his wish to see to Ronon. The drones had to be his first priority. When he heard a sound nearby he turned around raising his weapon.

The bullet hit the drone in the middle of its chest and it fell down to the side lying dead on the ground. Now there were only three more drones to defeat. Albert just hoped that Major Lorne had been able to kill the Wraith which probably had stayed at the Gate, because he really didn't want to be attacked by more Wraith.

He raised to a kneeling position and looked around. He could see something moving in the shadow and lifted his weapon, again. The bullet hit the drone in its back and the drone fell dead to the ground. Now there were only two more drones.  
Albert began to feel nervous because he still hadn't heard or seen anything coming from Ronon and he climbed the rubble making his way in the direction of Ronon's hiding place while he still was looking for the two drones which had been left over.

He saw a movement in the direction where Ronon probably had hidden himself. The drone hadn't noticed him being busy with removing stones and rocks from something underneath the rubble.

“Damn it!” Albert murmured, worried. Ronon must be underneath the rubble there and the drone tried to get to him. He hesitated for one moment, but then he switched his weapon from death to paralyze and shot the drone. The drone stumbled and finally fell to the side. Albert hastily made his way through the rubble and knelt next to the drone. He rolled the drone on its back and considered it. After a few seconds, he pressed his feeding-hand down on its chest and began to feed from the drone.

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

Albert removed the rubble lying over Ronon to the side with fierce determination, pausing from time to time to keep an eye out for the last drone.

He swallowed when he saw Ronon's dirty face underneath the stones.

The ruin Ronon had used as a cover had been falling down when the house with the inscription had collapsed because of the explosion and the man from Sateda had had no time to escape.  
Ronon was unconscious, but to Albert's relief he could see that he was breathing.

He heard a sound and hastily turned around. Before the drone was able to get closer to him he raised his weapon and shot it. The drone fell to the ground at his side.

The weapon had still been in the paralyze-mode and Albert smiled grimly as he pressed his feeding-hand on the drone's chest, this time without hesitation at all. When he had finished the drone, he shoved it to the side and turned to the rubble where Ronon was lying underneath, again.

Albert carefully removed the last stones from Ronon's body. The man from Sateda was still alive, but heavily injured. There were several wounds bleeding and Albert had the suspicion that Ronon's spine had been broken by the crash. When he had removed all of the rubble, Ronon suddenly opened his eyes and groaned.

“They're dead?” He croaked with effort. Albert nodded. “Yes. We got them all. Please stay still, Ronon. I think your spine is broken.”

“I can't feel anything.” Ronon breathed hard. “You have to leave me here and try to get to Atlantis”, he hissed under gritted teeth.

“No, Ronon. I won't leave you behind, no way.” He gently laid down his feeding-hand on Ronon's chest.

“It will be very painful when you are able to feel your back and legs again, Ronon. But you have to stay still, please.”

Ronon stared at him. “Why are you doing this?”

Albert returned the intensive stare without blinking. “We are team-members, Ronon. I would never leave you behind.”

He pressed his hand firmly on the other man's chest and 'bit' down.

Ronon groaned as Albert's life-force floated into his body healing his injuries. If he weren't as badly injured as he actually was, he would have been able to enjoy it and feel real pleasure, but so it was only painful as the bones of his spine were pressed back into their right places with force. But the big man lay there completely still and didn't even flinch.  
When Albert was pretty sure that he had done all he could do and Ronon's injuries would all heal completely, he slowly pulled his hand back from the broad chest.

“It will all heal, but you have to stay still for a few hours because otherwise your spine could break again, Ronon. I will be back, soon. I want to make sure that they are all dead.”

Ronon nodded. His eyes traveled over the drone lying a few meters away from him.

“You fed from this 'thing'?” He asked, disbelievingly. Albert just shrugged.

“I needed its life-force to heal you, Ronon. The drone has been the enemy”, he remarked sounding surprisingly unmoved.

He stood up and paved his way through the rubble to the house where the three Wraith had to be buried underneath feeling Ronon's glance on his back.

 

\------------------------------------------------------

 

The dusk had fallen on the planet.

Albert had made sure that no-one of the Wraith had survived and after that, he had put up a temporary camp, trying to make Ronon as comfortable as possible during the healing process until they were able to go back to Atlantis.  
Albert suspected that Colonel Sheppard would send a team looking for them sooner or later if they didn't come back to the city in the next few hours.

Albert had made a campfire and now was helping Ronon with the bottle of water so Ronon could drink the liquid without moving.

Ronon gratefully gulped the water considering Albert with his usual grim look.

“I still don't understand why you fed from your brothers”, he provoked Albert. “If there had been humans with them, too would you have done the same with the humans?”

“As I already told you – they were not my brothers”, Albert replied quietly, but there was a sharp undertone in his voice. “My brothers are in Atlantis and on the allied Hives.”

Of course, he knew why Ronon always behaved this way, but this time it bothered him. He was exhausted and agitated and it hurt him more than he wanted to admit that Ronon still treated him this way, although he had done all he could to save him and heal him.

Ronon snorted. “As if you were actually able to understand what it really means to have a family, brothers!” He growled, angrily.

Albert pressed his lips to a thin line. “I know it, believe me! I know it better than you can ever imagine! I know how it is to have a family very well - parents, siblings, friends and a home! In fact, I had all of these things!” He shouted outraged.

“Really? Loving parents and siblings on a Hive – how sweet and touching!” Ronon stated mockingly and Albert angrily curled his hands into fists.

“No, Ronon. Not on a Hive! On a planet!” When he realized what he just had said, he went silent, alarmed. For one long moment they just stared at each other.

“You're lying”, Ronon finally said, but his voice sounded uncertain and husky.

Albert swallowed and tightened. “I'm not lying.” He cleared his throat and looked Ronon straight in the eyes as he began to tell him his story.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------

 

“My mother was a young queen with only little power and experience. But she was very beautiful and kind and she got the attention from the Commander of another Hive.

Unfortunately, this Commander was the consort of a powerful queen who of course was rather upset and annoyed when she learned that her consort betrayed her with another queen and that he even had a child with this queen.

My mother was killed but my father could escape with me in a Dart. Some of his queen's soldiers followed him and tried to shoot his Dart down. He managed to escape them but his Dart had caught a graze and the Dart crashed on an unknown planet.  
He was heavily injured and he gave me his remaining life-force before he died.”

Albert paused for one moment. Ronon gazed at him, intently without saying a word and Albert began to speak again.

“There was a small hidden settlement on that planet and the inhabitants of this settlement had seen the crash of the Dart. They came to the place where the wreckage of the Dart lay and found me. I was only a few weeks old and completely helpless.

A young couple which had no children, but wanted children badly, decided to take me to their home to raise me.  
The other inhabitants first had reservations against me, but they were unable to kill a little helpless child. So the young couple was allowed to take me with them.

After a few months had passed, a Wraith-Commander came to the planet. It was the Commander from my mother's Hive who had been looking for my father and me since my mother had been killed. Somehow he had found out where the Dart had crashed and he wanted to know if one of us had survived.

The young couple begged him to let me stay with them. He hesitated first, but eventually, he agreed. He probably was afraid that the other queen would try to kill me, too and that it would be good to hide me for several years.

He made a deal with the inhabitants. They would let me live among them and raise me until I would be in my puberty and have to feed from humans. In return he would see to protect the settlement from the culling.

So, I grew up in that settlement. My father and my mother loved me and after a few months of reservations, the other settlers treated me as if I was one of them, because they knew that I wasn't a threat for them until I would be in the age to feed.

Of course, I always knew that I was different from them, but I simply suppressed those thoughts. I had friends I could play with and after a few years, my parents had their own children and I was the elder brother. They didn't love me less because of their own children and I was very happy to have younger siblings. It was just wonderful and I had a happy childhood with a family loving me deeply and a safe home.

When I was old enough, my parents told me the whole truth about my descent and also what would happen when I would grow up to a juvenile. Of course, I didn't want to think about that, hoping that I would never feel this kind of hunger.”

He lowered his head and swallowed against the lump in his throat.

“But the day came when I felt that burning hunger deep inside me for the first time.

I already had noticed before that some of the inhabitants were watching me, treating me in a different way than before, because they probably knew that I was now old enough to become a threat to them.

When I finally confessed to my father that I was feeling that burning hunger which couldn't be sated with food, he told me that he had suspected it for quite some time and that he had sent a message to the Commander who had made the deal with them years ago.

He would come and take me with him so I would be able to live among my own species.

I felt so desperate, but I knew that there was no other way than to leave my family and my home. I was a threat to all of my beloved and I would never have allowed that.

I said goodbye to my friends and my family and my father took me away that night.

The Commander came and I went with him to his Hive, the Hive of my mother. He had been the Commander of this Hive without another queen since she had died.

I have never seen my family again.”

 

\-----------------------------------------------------

 

For a long time there was only silence.

Ronon considered Albert, musing and for the first time, the expression on his face was only thoughtful and not as angry and cold as usual when he looked at Albert.

“Who was this Commander? Raven?” He asked after some time in a low voice.

Albert nodded. “Yes. Commander Raven.”

“What about the queen who killed your mother?” Ronon carefully moved a little bit to find a more comfortable position.

Albert hurried to get to his feet to help him. “Please, don't move, Ronon. Your spine is still fragile and needs time to heal completely.”

He moved Ronon very carefully to another position. He smiled, but it was not the friendly smile he showed so often.

“It was the Primary. Commander Todd killed her as you already know”, he answered with grim satisfaction in his voice.

“I see. So she's no more a threat to you.”

“No. But, but he didn't know that when he killed her. We first met after his return from earth with Atlantis three years ago.”

“Does he know your story?” Ronon inquired, thoughtfully.

“Yes, he does. He's my superior Commander. And I didn't want Commander Raven having to hide that from him. Cameron meanwhile knows it, too. No-one else.”

He looked at Ronon with sincerity. “And now you know my story, too, Ronon.”

Ronon just returned the look without saying something for a while. Then he suddenly smiled at Albert. It was only a brief smile, but it wast the first smile ever he had gifted Albert with and it was a honest smile.

“I won't tell it to anyone, Albert”, he replied almost friendly.

“Thank you, Ronon.” He gently lifted Ronon's head a little bit holding the bottle to Ronon's lips.  
When Ronon had sipped from the water, Albert laid his head down to the ground again, making sure he was as comfortable as possible.

Ronon hesitated, but then he asked quietly: “Have you ever tried to see your family again, to find that planet? How long ago has it been? Are they still alive?”

“No. I was too afraid to harm them.” Albert lowered his head. “And yes, I hope that they are still alive. It was about twenty five years ago. Every time I have to feed, I'm afraid that I will feed from one of my brothers. Or from one of my friends. They were so young and I don't know if I will be able to recognize them. This gives me a fright every damn time I have to feed. Believe me, Ronon, you cannot hate me more than I hate myself sometimes because I have to feed from humans. I just hope that we will eventually find a remedy.”

“Yes, Albert, me too. Did you have no sisters? You only speak about your brothers.”

“Oh, yes, I had one sister. But I don't feed from women, Ronon. Never”, he answered, melancholy.

“Of course, she could fall into the hands of another Wraith. Commander Raven handed something to my father when he took me to his Hive. Some necklaces which should protect them from the culling. They alarm the one who's wearing one of these amulets before the arrival of the Wraith and they mask the human signs of life. As long as my family will wear these amulets they should be protected. And the planet is unknown, only a few people know where this planet is. Maybe they are all still alive”, he added, silently.

“I hope so, too, Albert. For a Wraith, you are very, very young, then”, Ronon replied after one moment smiling briefly at Albert for the second time.

Albert smiled back. “Yes, I am very young. You should try to sleep, Ronon. You need your rest to heal completely. We have to stay here only for few more hours before we can go back to Atlantis. Besides, I think there will be a team looking for us, soon. I'll be keeping watch.”

“Thank you, Albert.” Ronon closed his eyes and Albert shifted his weight for a more comfortable position while he looked around, attentively.

It wouldn't take long before they would be back in Atlantis and then they could fly to the planet with the Wraith-facility and search for the three ZPM.

And he would see Kilian on this planet again.


	8. The First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all:  
> Albert and Kilian together for the first time...

Albert had kept watch for almost two hours, when his assumption came true and a team from Atlantis arrived on the planet searching for them because Albert and Ronon hadn't shown up in Atlantis until then like they had agreed with Major Lorne.

Colonel Sheppard had been cautiously after Major Lorne's and Rodney's explanations and had only sent Marines without the Ancient-gene. They laid Ronon down on a stretcher and went back to the city.

Albert was glad to be back in Atlantis sooner than he first had expected, because he was as eager to find the three ZPM as Rodney was.

And he wanted to see Kilian again.

He had tried to fight against his feelings for him but in the mean-time he had comprehended that it was an hopeless fight and after he eventually had realized that, he almost couldn't wait to see the young Commander again.

Of course, there were several important things to be done before they could fly to the Wraith-facility and Albert first went with the Marines who carried Ronon on the stretcher to the infirmary to explain to Dr. Keller-McKay what had happened during their stay on the planet with the ruins.

Dorothy was in the infirmary, too and she screeched excited as she saw Albert coming in.

“Alby! Alby! Play with me!” She threw herself in his arms and he caught her and lifted her up.

“Hey, my little princess. Are you doing fine today?”

“I'm fine! Wanna play! Alby, play with me!” She begged and looked at him with pleading big blue eyes.

Albert smiled lovingly at the little girl in his arms. “I will play with you, later, Dorothy. I have to tell your mom what has happened to Ronon and I have to talk to Colonel Sheppard first. But after that talk I will come and play with you, I promise.”

Dorothy nodded. She knew that Albert always kept the promises he had made to her and she let herself set back on the floor again without any protest. She looked at Ronon and frowned.

“What's wrong with uncle Ronny?” She asked, dismayed.

“He will be fine again soon, my little princess. His back is aching because he has been falling down to the ground and he have to rest a little bit, that's all. He will heal completely”, he replied, hoping that the bright little girl would be satisfied with this explanation. She attentively looked at him but to his relief didn't ask further questions.

“I will be with you in a short time. But now I have to talk to your mom.” She hesitated but then she nodded. “I will wait for you, uncle Alby.”

Albert watched her leave with a smile on his lips as she hopped out of the infirmary, glad to be at home again.

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

Albert sat in the mess from the Stardust at Rodney's side, torn between his wish for the flight to last longer so he could prepare himself better for his next meeting with Kilian and his hope that they would arrive on the orbit of the planet as soon as possible so he would finally see him again.

When Major Lorne and Rodney had returned from their mission Colonel Sheppard had immediately contacted the Stardust which had already been on her flight to Atlantis to load fresh supplies. After the necessary meetings and preparations the team which Colonel Sheppard had given the task of searching for the ZPM had left Atlantis with the Stardust to fly to the planet with the Wraith-facility.

The team consisted of Rodney, Carson Beckett, Major Lorne, Teyla, Ronon and he himself. Then there were also Dr. Miller, two more scientists and four Marines to backup the search. This time, Major Lorne had unfortunately chosen Randy and Marc to join the team, but after the first fright Albert had been able to behave as if he knew nothing about their conversation. For the two men, he actually didn't know anything about their talk.

Before their departure, Albert had taken a long shower and carefully washed his hair, because the experiences on that planet had left their traces on him and he wanted to be clean and present his best side to Kilian when he would see him again.  
Retrospective, he was glad that he hadn't worn the jacket on their last mission. Now it was well packed away in his baggage, waiting for him to dress it before he would face Kilian. After his shower he had kept his promise and played with Dorothy.

“Now you will finally see Kilian again”, Rodney stated, unmoved, considering him. Normally, Albert was able to detect what Rodney was thinking, but this time, Rodney's face was completely impassive.

“Yes”, Albert answered, uneasy, feeling irritated by Rodney's uncommon behavior.

“What will you do, Albert? Will you decline his offer to claim you? I know that you still could do that.”

Albert swallowed. “What do you mean, Rodney?” He asked, guardedly. Rodney just grinned, mockingly, raising his eyebrow. “Albert!”

Albert lowered his head and bit his lip. Rodney sighed and laid his arm around Albert's shoulders.

“I know that you have always dreamed to find someone like Cameron. But you really mean a lot to Kilian, Albert. And I'm sure that you have deeper feelings for him than you want to admit. He's the right person for you. Don't throw that away for a dream which will never be as wonderful as the reality.”

Albert leaned on Rodney's shoulder. “Yes, I know that, Rodney. I won't do that”, he answered with sincerity. “I won't decline his offer to claim me.”

Rodney smirked and briefly pulled him close. “We will have to prepare a lot of things before we are able to begin with the search for the ZPM. You two will also have time enough that he can secure his claim on you so it will be – hm – clear to everyone. I'm sure that no-one will question his claim on you any longer then”, he remarked, wryly and Albert was once again glad that Wraith actually weren't able to blush.

Several hours later the Stardust was back in her usual orbit on the planet again and Albert could feel his heart starting to beat faster.

Rodney watched him, silently, as he took the jacket out of his baggage and suddenly laid his hand at Albert's arm. Albert had told him about the meaning of this garment during their conversation in the mess and Rodney had already been there when Kilian had said goodbye two weeks ago and seen that Kilian had brought something to him.

“Albert, wait. I have an idea. Kilian should be the first to see you in this jacket and I heard Colonel Manderley say that Kilian is on his Hive at the moment. We know where the quarters of the Commanders are placed on a Hive and we can beam you directly in his quarter.”

“That would be great, Rodney”, Albert said, quietly and gratefully. He had been a little bit sad because Kilian wouldn't have been the first to see him in this jacket if he had to dress the garment now, but with Rodney's idea it would be possible.

Rodney rubbed his hands and grinned. “Just let me do this!”

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

Feeling rather flustered, Albert paced up and down in Kilian's quarter.  
Rodney had beamed him straight away in the young Commander's quarter just as he had promised. He also had sent a message to Kilian that Albert would be waiting there for him.

Albert had changed his coat with Kilian's present and now wore the jacket which fitted him perfectly. Kilian must have made it especially for him, as perfect as it suited him. The garment was really beautiful and if he was honest to himself then he had to admit that he liked the jacket much more than his old coat.

Of course, Albert knew that it would take a while until Kilian would be able to come to him. He was the Commander of a large Hive and simply couldn't drop everything just to go to his mate, but Albert was nervous and he could feel himself getting more nervous with every minute.

Kilian was not only in charge of his Hive but also in charge of the exploration of the facility and had more duties and tasks than the usual jobs of a Hive Commander. But nevertheless he hoped that he hadn't to wait for Kilian much longer because he really craved to see him again.

He went to the large window of the quarter and looked down at the planet while he waited for his mate to come to him. Kilian actually wasn't his real mate by now, although only few people knew or suspected it, but Albert hoped that it would be different some hours later. He heard a sound coming from behind and turned his head to see from where it came.

Kilian stood in the doorway of his quarter and looked at him in silence.

Albert took a deep breath and turned totally around. His throat suddenly felt dry like sandpaper and he swallowed uncertainly because Kilian just stood there watching him.  
Albert opened his mouth to say something as Kilian slowly began to make his way to him across the quarter while the door closed with a dull 'plopp'.

Albert closed his mouth again watching Kilian come closer to him with an absolutely impassive mask on his chiseled features. But there was a fire burning in his beautiful golden eyes which made Albert shiver.

Kilian came to halt in front of Albert, standing very close to him. He reached out with his hand and caressed gently Albert's cheek, considering him thoughtfully.

“You're wearing the jacket, Albert”, he purred, softly, but Albert could hear the question behind the quiet statement.

He cleared his throat. “Yes, I do. And you're the first to see me wearing this jacket, Kilian”, he answered, huskily.

“Are you really sure, Albert? Because if you're not sure about this than you have to say it now. I won't accept your 'No' later, Albert.”

Albert looked in Kilian's eyes with firm resolution. “I am sure, Kilian”, he replied, quietly.

Kilian caressed his soft lips with his thumb. “What about Cameron, Albert? I noticed the way you're looking at him”, he inquired, his voice raw and husky. Albert could hear the suppressed desire in Kilian's dark and warm voice.

“Nothing. Cameron is only a friend”, he said, sincerely. Kilian watched him a while longer, still lost in thoughts, but then he gifted him with a slight smile.

“So you accept my offer to claim you?” “Yes, Kilian, I do.”

Kilian lifted Albert up with a growl. “You're mine, Albert. And now I will make sure that everybody will know it!”

Albert wrapped his arms around Kilian, letting himself be carried to the bed. “Yes, I'm yours, only yours, Kilian”, he whispered, nestling against his mate, longingly.

 

\----------------------------------------------------

 

Kilian carried Albert to his bed and lowered him gently on his feet again.

Slowly, but firmly he began to undress Albert, the jacket first, which he carefully laid to the side and after that, he undressed the rest of Albert's clothes. While doing this, he looked into Albert's eyes all of the time and Albert could see the burning desire in the golden depths. He felt the same desire and groped for the fastenings of Kilian's jacket.  
Kilian chuckled slightly as Albert tugged at the fastenings with impatience because he didn't manage to open them immediately. He pushed Albert's trembling hands to the side and undressed himself hastily, still looking at Albert the whole time.

Albert could feel his breath falter when Kilian finally stood there, completely naked.  
Kilian purred and pulled Albert close to his body with force, shoving him onto the bed at the same time.

Albert tousled Kilian's thick and silky mane falling down to his shoulders and pulled his head down to his throat.

Kilian chuckled again. “Oh no, Albert, not now”, he whispered at his smooth skin.

Albert groaned with frustration and Kilian raised his head and looked at Albert, tenderly.

“Don't worry, my beautiful Albert. I will mark you, later, when I'll take you, thrusting deep inside you. But you have to wait for this a little bit longer. I've been waiting for you being all mine for so long and I don't want it to be over too soon. I want to enjoy our first time together, every single second of it.”

He bent his head and before Albert was able to protest, Kilian kissed him, demanding and passionately. Albert gasped surprised for air. He hadn't thought that Kilian would kiss him, but he instinctively opened his mouth and shyly returned the kiss. They hadn't done much yet, but Albert was rock-hard and almost painfully aroused and he could feel Kilian's hard length pressing into his thigh.

Kilian purred at his lips, kissing him deeply and passionately. When he eventually lifted his head, Albert breathed for air, trying to fight the dizziness, while Kilian did nothing else than simply watching him in complete silence. Albert first didn't know why Kilian was looking at him like this, but after one moment he realized what Kilian was waiting for.

He hesitated, uncertain, because the last time he had tried to bond with Kilian telepathically, Kilian had rejected him. But Albert was honest enough to admit that he had rejected Kilian's tries to contact his mind much more often. He cautiously put out his mental feelers towards Kilian's mind and this time Kilian didn't reject him at all.

A wave of desire and passion flooded him and he gasped for air as the wave swept him away. Passion, desire, tenderness and an almost overwhelming sense of possessiveness paired with a strong instinct of protectiveness, all of this rushed into his mind and body at the same time and he moaned aroused, pressing himself against Kilian, almost crazy with need and lust. Longingly, he wrapped his arms around his mate pulling him down to kiss him.

Kilian kissed him again, exploring Albert's body firmly and demanding. He caressed every single inch of his smooth skin, claiming him with his hands and his lips.

'You're mine, my beautiful Albert, only mine!'

Albert whimpered, slightly, arching against the young Commander.

'Yes, Kilian, I'm yours, only yours', he answered, overwhelmed by the intensity of their mental bond.

He had never let the telepathic contact with his brothers become more than a loose connection, but now he gave himself to his mate completely and without reservations.

'Take me, Kilian, please, take me!' He begged desperately. He was so hard and aroused that it was hurting and he craved for belong to Kilian with his mind and his body.

Kilian growled delighted and grabbed for something standing on the bedside table, while he kept Albert's head still with his other hand and kissed him once more, eagerly and possessively.

And then Albert could feel his hand between his thighs. He spread his legs willingly for his mate and let Kilian prepare him with tenderness, trembling and shivering with the desire and impatience to be close to Kilian not only with his thoughts and emotions but with his body, too.

'Kilian, please! Take me!' He pleaded again, halfway out of his mind with need and desire, his hands exploring the beautiful body of the young Wraith and caressing every spot and every place they could reach with devotion and ardor.

Kilian covered Albert with his own body and pushed deep into him with one tender thrust. Albert suppressed a strangled cry and threw his head back with lust and pleasure.  
Kilian contently growled again and finally bent his head down to Albert's sensitive throat. He settled his weight on his left arm and snaked his right hand between their bodies. He stroked Albert's throbbing member while he thrust into him again and again with desire and passion.

Albert panted and clung to Kilian. 'Mark me! Kilian, I want you to leave your mark on me!' He demanded with his thoughts, moaning and hissing. Another wave of desire and possessiveness flooded his mind and then Kilian bit down and began to suck on his throat while he slammed into Albert's body.

'You're mine, Albert, only mine!' 'Yes, only yours, Kilian, only yours!'

Albert moved his hips, his whole body shaking with lust and arousal. He didn't know where his arousal ended and Kilian's began, they seemed to be only one single person, one mind and one body and he dug his nails into Kilian's shoulders giving himself unquestioningly to his mate. Kilian took all of him and Albert arched helplessly his back as his orgasm washed over him, his hoarse cry of release echoing in their heads: 'Kilian!'

 

\------------------------------------------------

 

Albert lay there underneath Kilian's body, panting and tried to catch his breath. He blinked, feeling dazed and dizzy and looked shyly into Kilian's eyes.

Kilian watched him, intently, and Albert could feel his unfulfilled desire still buried deep inside him, hard and needy.

The spot at his neck where Kilian had left his claim on him so visible for others to see throbbed heavily and Albert swallowed with embarrassment and uncertainty. Their thoughts were still connected, but Albert cleared his throat and asked in a raw voice: “What about you, Kilian?”

“Don't worry, my beautiful Albert, I've already got what I wanted - you out of your mind with ecstasy and screaming my name. I want to make sure that you will forget everyone who possessed you before I had you, Albert”, Kilian purred, sounding content and delighted, nibbling gently at his lips. “I want you to forget every other person who ever touched you, my beautiful Albert.”

Albert shivered with new arousal and desire as Kilian began to move again, slowly and tenderly.  
He sighed and tousled Kilian's wavy mane. He pressed Kilian's lips on his throat again with longing and need tilting his head to the side to give his mate better access, while he impatiently bucked his hips against Kilian's strong and slender body.

“You're the first one, Kilian. The first one who ever touched me like this”, he whispered into the silky hair of his mate, trembling with passion. Kilian paused and lay still for one moment.

'No-one ever touched you?'

'No, my consort. No-one else but you, Kilian.'

Kilian purred and sank his teeth into his throat again. Albert cried out in surprise and arousal and arched his back as Kilian relentlessly sucked at his oversensitive skin, sending electric jolts of pleasure through him. He could feel Kilian's lust and desire in his own body as the young Commander thrust into him for the second time, hard, fast and demanding without holding himself back any longer, sucking on Albert's neck all of the time. Albert moaned and dug his nails into Kilian's shoulders as his mate completely possessed him once again.

Kilian suddenly let go of his rock-hard shaft and Albert tried to protest, but then he could feel Kilian's right hand pressing down on his chest and pure ecstasy rushing through his whole body.

“Kilian!” His cry filled their quarter and he arched wildly as he almost blacked out while his orgasm rushed through him again.

“Albert!” Kilian's scream was an echo of his own cry as Kilian followed him over the edge reaching the height of total satisfaction and pleasure, too.

For one short moment time stood still. Kilian got rigid over him and shivered forcefully, spilling his release deep inside his consort. Albert wrapped his arms and legs firmly around his mate and pressed him close, enjoying the warm afterglow of their wonderful coupling.

For a long time they only lay there cuddled up and still deeply connected with each other, trying to catch their breath.

When Kilian finally raised his head to look at him, Albert smiled happily at his mate, overwhelmed by his emotions for the young and beautiful Commander. Kilian returned the smile with a warm glow in his golden eyes, content and sated.

'Now you really belong to me, my beautiful Albert', he could hear him tenderly in his thoughts and he snuggled closer in the arms of his mate, trustfully and enjoying their heartfelt bonding.

'Yes, Kilian, I belong to you. I'm only yours. Forever', he whispered back and pulled his head close to seal his promise with a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you liked it!  
> But don't worry! It doesn't mean that the story is over and that they will live happy together, just because they're real mates by now.  
> They have to solve a lot of problems and there will be adventures before the story ends, I promise!


	9. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albert and Kilian are finally together and happy!  
> But will it really be that easy for a Wraith like Albert who tries to be as human as possible to be with a Wraith-Commander who likes to be Wraith and lives his life with the Wraith-rules?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it wouldn't be really exciting if they just were happy together for the rest of their lives...  
> So I decided that they have to fight with each other sometimes and there will be adventures, too...  
> I hope that you will enjoy reading it!  
> And please, leave comments and tell me what you're thinking! I really would like to get feedback!

Albert found himself staring dreamily at the console in front of him, smiling happily and sunken in memories about the last night instead of concentrating on his work.

He hadn't slept the last night, but he needed only little rest as well fed and happy as he was at this time.

Kilian had taken him again and again, demanding and passionately and gently and tenderly. It seemed that he couldn't have gotten enough of him and Albert had come to know things about the young Commander he hadn't suspected there before.

Albert had known that Kilian was very young and because of his age much more adventurous and willing to take high risks as Todd or Raven for example, who always considered every possible difficulties before they made any decisions, having thousands of years of experiences and knowledge.

But the young Wraith had always been very reserved when Albert was around, acting polite and obliging, but never as possessive and demanding as he had behaved the night before overwhelming Albert with his passion right away.

Quite the opposite, Albert had thought that Kilian preferred nonbinding encounters, having no interest in offering his claim to someone and taking him as his consort.

This kind of relationship in the Wraith-culture was a very binding relationship, the bond between those mates much stronger and much more sacrosanct than the marriages of human couples.

Albert felt still a slight uncertainty when he thought about the close bonding he had entered with the beautiful Commander the night before and which was clear to perceive for any other Wraith, not only because of the big mark on his neck he was wearing visible and with pride now, but also because Kilian had taken him completely and filled him with his seed and his own life-force at the same time.

Every time a Wraith did so with his consort, the enzyme was changed by pheromones leaving a permanent scent in the marked one which every other Wraith smelled immediately, knowing then that this one had accepted the claim of another Wraith and was taken as his consort. It also strengthened the bond between the mates and made sure that their sexual desire and longing for each other didn't fade away during the thousands of years they normally stayed together.

Albert was happy and didn't regret the previous night at all, but he felt a little bit uncomfortable by the thought that he now belonged completely to Kilian and that the young Commander had the right to control him and tell him what he could do and what he couldn't do any longer, at least partly.

His two superiors Todd and Raven had given him certain liberties and he had been able to make a lot of decisions on his own and to live his life the way he wanted to.

This wouldn't be possible any longer with Kilian's claim upon him.  
Albert wouldn't be free to live his life the way he wanted to and this thought gave him a slight fright.

He sighed and tried to concentrate on his work again. The Stardust had beamed him and his team in the facility after the Stardust had taken him aboard again.

Kilian had had to see to some things on his Hive first and Albert didn't know when he would see him again, but he hoped that they would spend the night together.

At the moment he was standing in a small lab he had withdrawn into before to be able to work undisturbed. He stood at one of the consoles and tried to understand the data he had brought with him from the other planet and which hadn't revealed its secrets to him until now.  
He had chosen this small lab for his working because he still felt embarrassed in front of the others after his special night with Kilian and he couldn't concentrate on his work like that.  
Rodney had seen to no-one disturbing him and he was very grateful to his friend for taking care of his needs.

Albert had heard a lot of stories about Rodney's behavior in former times, but he only knew him as a sensitive and sympathetic friend which certainly had something to do with his happy marriage and his wonderful daughter.

They all had a lot to prepare before they could go to the unknown places in this facility and search for the ZPM and Albert was grateful that no-one pressurized him to decode the data as quick as possible which was much more difficult then he first had expected.

He stared frustrated at the incomprehensible data and tried to find a new way to decode the coordinates which were hidden somewhere in the information.

He became absorbed in the translation again and it took him a long time to realize that he wasn't alone any longer.

When he raised his head, irritated, he could see Kilian leaning in the doorway in a casual manner, his arms crossed over his chest and looking at him with slight amusement.

Albert's heart began to beat faster as he saw the young and beautiful Commander standing there and his throat went dry with desire.

He cleared his throat, feeling embarrassed because he hadn't noticed his arrival sooner.

“Hey. How long have you been standing there? I didn't hear you coming?”

He sighed inwardly about his stupid words, immediately. Kilian was Wraith.

Wraith were able to come close to someone completely noiseless and unnoticed if they didn't want to be seen, even to one of their own species. And they were able to shield their thoughts, too, to avoid being perceived by another Wraith because of their telepathic abilities. And it was really obvious that Kilian exactly had done this because he hadn't wanted to be noticed by Albert earlier.

Kilian was really remarkable in every possible way, that was already to be seen in the fact that he was the Commander of a large Hive in spite of his youth and of course, he was able to come as close to another person as he wanted to without being detected, even if this person was his own consort.

Kilian's cheerful grin told him that he was right with his suspicion.

“Hey. I'm here for a rather long time watching you”, he remarked sounding very smug.

He came nearer while the door closed behind him and the expression on his face changed from amusement to burning desire.

“You're so beautiful when you're working with such concentration, Albert”, he whispered, hoarsely.

Albert bit his lips, unable to do anything else than just stand there and watch his mate coming closer to him. He reminded him of a big beautiful cat again and he himself was the prey that was clear.

Kilian came to halt in front of him and reached out with his hand. He groped Albert's silky long mane holding his head in place while he kissed him with such fire and ardor that Albert's knees began to buckle.

Albert moaned helplessly and returned the kiss with the same burning desire. Kilian's tongue demanded entrance and he opened his mouth and kissed him back longingly.

Kilian growled aroused and pressed Albert's slim body close to his own, letting him feel his arousal and desire. Albert clung to his shoulders, feeling dazed, and he instinctively bucked his hips against Kilian to get more friction.

Kilian deepened the kiss even more and let his fingers glide through Albert's silky mane.

“You're so beautiful, Albert, so so beautiful. I love your hair, your wonderful hair”, he whispered huskily at his swollen lips and raised his head a little bit to bury his face in Albert's fragrant splendid head of hair.

Albert sighed and longingly snuggled closer to the young Commander.

He wrapped his arms around him and for one moment they just stood there, pressed close to each other enjoying their embrace.

But then Kilian kissed him again with such hunger and desire that Albert gasped for air.  
Kilian growled aroused and tucked at the fastenings of Albert's jacket. He shrugged the jacket off of Albert's shoulders with impatience and began to unbutton Albert's trousers.

Albert froze with a sudden fright. “No, Kilian! Not here!” He tried to push the other Wraith away from him.

Kilian growled and bent his head to his neck. “Why not here?” He inquired hoarsely and sucked on the sensitive spot at his throat where the mark he had left the previous evening was dark and visible against the much paler skin surrounding it.

“Someone could come here...” Albert murmured uncomfortably. The thought of Randy and Marc coming into the lab while Kilian was taking him here came to his mind and he could feel the panic raising in his guts.

“So what?” Kilian raised his head. “If someone will come here then they will see that they're disturbing us and leave again”, he stated unmoved and bent his head on Albert's throat to suck on the smooth skin again.

On a Hive it would have been like this, especially if it was the Commander and his consort.

The Wraith would have apologized being the one feeling guilty, while the two mates just would continue with what they were doing having the right on their side.

But in Atlantis it was an entirely different kind of matter. And Albert had come used to their views and ideas on morality. The fear of someone coming here and seeing him mating with Kilian caused him to fight against his mate, although he craved for him almost painfully.

“Kilian, please, not now, not here. I have to work! We have to find those ZPM...” He tried to convince Kilian to let go of him.

Kilian growled unwillingly. “I won't keep you from your work for a long time, Albert. But I want you now. You're in this lab for hours by now and a short break of half an hour won't do any damage. I had to wait for you being all mine for so long and I want you right now!”

“Kilian, please, I don't want anybody to watch us when we're doing this!” Albert pleaded desperately and pushed the young Commander away with all of his strength.

Kilian finally let go of Albert, but he still stood very close to him. He glanced at him with narrowed eyes and his arms crossed over his chest again, being obviously very annoyed.

“What's that supposed to mean, Albert? You accepted my claim on you, I can take you whenever I want to! Everybody knows that you belong to me, no-one will think something wrong if they see us together.”

“But in public...” Albert replied, sounding unsure.

“We are not in public here, Albert”, Kilian stated coolly. “And if we were in public, I would have every right to take you, nonetheless. But I won't do that, Albert”, he added a little bit softer as Albert frightened gasped for air.

“But if someone will come to this lab, one of the Marines – what would he think about us...”

“That he's disturbing us, I hope”, Kilian rumbled, impatiently. “You're Wraith, not human and we don't have a human relationship, Albert. I know that you would have preferred to be with a human instead of me, but you accepted my offer, we _are_ together now, and you really should start to behave like a Wraith! And I think that you're mistaken if you believe that your friends expect you to behave like a human.”

Albert opened his mouth to say something, but Kilian silenced him with an impatient gesture of his hand.

“You should think about what you said to me yesterday and if you really mean what you have said, Albert! I won't be willing to make compromises about my claim on you. You already knew what my offer meant and you know our laws and rules very well.  
If you have made your decision then let me know. I will be on my Hive later.”

With these words he turned around and left Albert alone in the lab, angry, stunned and still painfully aroused.

 

\----------------------------------------------

 

Albert just had been standing there for a long time, staring at the closed door, angry and hurt about Kilian's behavior. Why Kilian didn't understand that he felt uncomfortable having sex on a place like this? He hadn't had sex at all until the last night and he had spent so much of his time among humans that he had become used to their opinions. He felt different about a lot of things than a Wraith who lived among his own species all of the time.

He had tried to work again, defiant and frustrated but he had realized soon that he wasn't able to concentrate any longer.

So he had finally left the lab to search for Rodney and the rest of his team and he had found Rodney and Carson in one of the other labs with the medical research.

The two men had made themselves comfortable sitting on the floor, eating and discussing about the data they had discovered. Albert hesitantly went closer and Rodney looked up, smiling at his friend.

“Hey! Here you are again! I think you should take a break from time to time, it would be good for you, too, Albert. We have coffee for you. Sit down.” Rodney pointed to the pot of coffee and the cups standing on the floor between Carson and he himself. Albert came closer and sat down on the ground next to his friends.

Rodney grinned at him and considered him. Kilian was searching for you earlier. I told him where you have been and that no-one would come to disturb you there...”

Albert stared at Rodney, totally shocked. “You did what?” He asked huskily. Rodney shrugged his shoulders.

“I told him that you would be alone there and undisturbed. Kilian is young and ardent and he had to wait for you to give yourself to him for so long. I'm sure that he can't take his hands off you when he's with you. I still can't take my hands off Jenny when we're alone for a few minutes, what happens rarely to my regrets. You have to use such opportunities if you have them.”

He chuckled as he got a friendly dig in the ribs from Carson. But he became serious when he saw the expression on Albert's face.

“Hey, Albert, what's wrong? Didn't he come to you?”

“Yes, he came.” Albert hung his head. Rodney changed looks with Carson and then Carson stood up. “I guess it would be better to leave you two alone.”

Rodney smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you, Carson.” He wrapped his arm around Albert's shoulder and asked quietly: “Please, tell me what went wrong?”

Albert leaned against Rodney and groaned. “I'm such an idiot, Rodney!”

“You? An idiot? Sorry Albert, but I really have to doubt that. Please tell me what's up!”

Albert took a deep breath and told Rodney what had happened.

Rodney listened to him without interrupting him and after Albert had finished he just watched him for a while, silently, before he started to speak.

“That's really an awkward situation, Albert. I don't know your laws and rules very well, but I know for sure that you don't have to worry about what others might think. You have no idea how often I have been stumbling over couples having sex on public places. And everybody knows that you two are together for just one day.”

“Yes, I know that, Rodney. I was so stupid and childish and I'm sure that he's rather angry with me!”

Rodney smiled. “I don't think so, Albert. Kilian really adores you. He's surely disappointed because he hasn't gotten what he wanted but I'm sure that it will be easy for you to make it up with him. He's on his Hive again, you should let yourself get beamed there by the Stardust. You won't be able to concentrate on your work now, anyway.”

“But we have to find those ZPM”, Albert protested halfheartedly. Rodney shook his head. “We will find them. But not today. This relationship is so important for both of you, Albert. You should sort things out with Kilian and after you did this you will be able to search for the ZPM again.”

Albert nodded gratefully and smiled a little bit shyly at Rodney. “I will do what you said. Thank you, Rodney.”

They drank their coffee in companionable silence and when he had emptied his cup, Albert stood up and left the lab to let himself beamed up on Kilian's Hive which now was his Hive, too, his new home. To be honest, he didn't want to live apart from Kilian on another Hive in the future.

He met Ronon who obviously wanted to be beamed on the Stardust, too and smiled cautiously at him. They hadn't been alone together since they had left the planet and Albert wasn't sure how Ronon would react towards him. To his astonishment, Ronon briefly smiled back at him.

“How are you doing, Ronon?” He asked in a friendly voice. Ronon's injuries had healed completely, but Carson had told him to take care of himself for a few days and Ronon had accepted that and followed this advice.

“I'm fine, thank you, Albert. That's only because of you”, Ronon replied with sincerity.  
Albert shook his head. “You don't have to thank me, Ronon. It was a matter of course. We are one team.”

“I want to thank you, nonetheless. I never was kind and friendly to you.”

“And I know the reasons for that quite well. But you would never have left me behind, nevertheless, if it had been the other way round.”

Ronon nodded, lost in thoughts. “No, Albert, I would have not. As you said – we are one team.”

He looked at the mark on Albert's neck. “Kilian is your mate now?” He asked, hesitantly.

Albert nodded and this time he felt only pride and no embarrassment at all as he confirmed Ronon's question. “Yes, I accepted his offer to claim me.”

Ronon smiled at him once again. “I think that he will be good for you, Albert. And you should tell him your story. It would be much easier for him to understand you if he knew about your childhood, too, I guess.”

Albert swallowed. “Yes, Ronon, I know. And you're right. I will tell it to him. Thank you, Ronon.”

The big man from Sateda bent his head slightly to him. “We're one team, Albert. Are we not?”

“Yes, we are”, Albert replied, seriously and waited with Ronon for the Stardust to beam them on board

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Albert hesitantly entered the bridge of Kilian's Hive.

Kilian stood behind his controls and 'talked' with his second. Albert mused about contacting Kilian telepathically but then he hesitated unsure.

Kilian's posture told him that Kilian was well aware of the fact that he was standing there and ignored him with intention.

Albert could feel his hope for a quick reconciliation fading away. Kilian was still annoyed and Albert had to admit that his mate had every right to be angry with him. Albert had accepted Kilian's claim upon him and then rejected him when Kilian had wanted to mate with him, something he wasn't allowed to do any longer.

He waited for Kilian to pay him attention, well aware of the astonished glances the crew-members on the bridge shot in his direction.

Kilian eventually turned around and looked at him, coolly. Albert opened his mouth and tried to say something but he closed his mouth again as he felt Kilian's thought in his head. Kilian didn't try to bond with him telepathically, he just gave him one single order:

'Go to our quarter and wait there for me!'

Albert bit his lips and nodded before he turned around and left the bridge to obey this order.

He walked to Kilian's quarter which was now his quarter, too and desperately searched for a way to make it up with his angry mate.

When he arrived at the quarter, he felt exhausted and discouraged and he just took his shoes off and laid down on the bed where he had experienced such passion the night before and closed his eyes to get some rest until his consort would come to him.

Albert couldn't tell how much time had past when he was awoken by a touch on his cheek. He opened his eyes with confusion and saw Kilian sitting at the edge of their bed. The young Wraith simply sat there and considered him silently with a look Albert wasn't able to detect.

“Kilian! I'm so sorry!” Albert sat up and wrapped his arms around the young Commander. “Kilian, please, I'm really sorry!” He nestled as close as he was able to against him and buried his face at his shoulder.

He had expected that Kilian would push him away, but his mate took him in his arms instead and held him close.

“I'm the one who has to apologize, Albert”, he murmured in Albert's silky hair. “I should have had more understanding for your feelings. Yesterday it was your first time ever and I should have been able to understand that it is much harder for you to deal with such things than it is for me. You have spent so much time in Atlantis and it is no wonder that you have gotten used to their manners and customs.” He softly stroked Albert's head.

“Please, forgive me, my beautiful Albert”, he said with sincerity and gently lifted his chin up to look him in the eyes.

Albert smiled happily at him. “There's nothing to forgive at all. I made a mistake. I should have told it to you yesterday – the reason for my human behavior. It's not only because I spent so much time in Atlantis.”

Kilian slightly frowned and considered Albert inquiringly, pulling him gently on his lap. Albert cuddled up to him.

“What do you mean? What do you should have told me?”

Kilian didn't try to bond with Albert telepathically, he seemed to sense that talking was easier for Albert right now and he respected that without being offended.

Albert took a deep breath.

“The story about my childhood, Kilian. The reason why I'm feeling more comfortable among humans than among my own species so often.”

And then he began to tell his story to Kilian.


	10. The Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting with your mate is not as bad as it seems, at least if you're able to make it up with your angry lover afterwards, primarily in your bed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Albert will have to get used to the rules and customs and manners of his own culture, otherwise they will fight again, I guess.  
> But the making it up is always the best after a fight between lovers...  
> At the end of this chapter there will be a new character introduced, who will get his own story beginning on monday, the 26th may.  
> I hope you will stay tuned and like the new story, too!

“I have never seen them again. I hope that they are still alive and healthy.”

Albert went silent, exhausted and nestled close into Kilian's loving embrace.

Kilian softly stroked his hair and pressed his lips gently on his forehead without saying a word. Albert closed his eyes and tried to bring his emotions back under control. He had a lump in his throat and felt tired and unsure. Maybe Kilian didn't want a consort who was raised like this among humans and behaved in their way...

'My favorite, please, let me in.'

Suddenly, he could feel Kilian's soft touch in his head. It wasn't a hard order like it had been on the bridge hours ago, but a tender and soft tentative question. Kilian asked for their mental bonding, prepared to withdraw immediately if Albert wasn't ready for this intimate and deep contact.

Albert didn't hesitate. He craved for closeness and comfort and he knew that Kilian would give him both. Kilian now was his mate and his family.

He opened up his mind and let his lover share his emotions, his fears, his grief and his loss.  
Kilian pulled him nearer and kissed him lovingly and gently and then a wave of tenderness, understanding and comfort flooded him and swept him away.

Albert returned the kiss like someone dying of thirst and pressed himself close against his consort. Trembling, he groped for the fastenings of Kilian's clothes and tried to undress the young Commander without letting go of him.

Somehow, they managed to undress each other and kiss and caress at the same time. Cuddled up they fell down on the mattress, naked and stroking their bodies longingly.

'I will never leave you alone, my beautiful Albert. Never, my favorite, I promise you.'

Kilian's thoughts were gentle and loving, balm for his wounded soul which had never been able to overcome the loss of his family and home – until now.

For the first time since Albert had had to leave his family and his home when he had been a young boy to live among his own species, a race he hadn't known at all and which he feared, he felt that he had found a real new home. Kilian was his safe haven now.

Raven's Hive and Atlantis had been the place where he had felt comfortable and appreciated and he had liked to live there.

But Kilian and his Hive were his real home now, the one place in this universe where he really belonged to.

Their caresses became more urgent and demanding. Albert moaned and pulled Kilian over his body.

'Take me, my consort! Please take all of me!' Albert whimpered aroused, crazy with need and longing.  
Kilian purred at his lips and groped for the bottle standing on the table. Albert willingly spread his legs and let Kilian prepare him while his mate lowered his mouth at his throat.

Cameron once had told him when they had been on guard duty on the bridge of their Hive that it incredible aroused him to be marked by Raven, not only why it was so pleasurable when Raven sucked on his sensitive throat, but also because he loved it when Raven showed his possessiveness towards him so clearly.  
At that time he hadn't understand it although he was Wraith himself and this ritual was so deeply rooted in their Wraith-culture.

Since the last night Albert was quite able to see what Cameron had meant. He was absolutely addicted to Kilian leaving his claim on him. To feel Kilian's sharp teeth sinking in his vulnerable throat without ever hurting him and to feel his mate suck eagerly at his smooth skin aroused him more than he would ever have expected.

He tilted his head to the side and suppressed a strangled cry as Kilian sank his teeth into his neck while he pushed inside him with a single deep thrust. He could feel Kilian's lust and wanting in his mind and in his body and he moved his hips, unable to control his own desire.

Kilian hadn't moved since he had thrust into him, he just sucked on his throat, but Albert was so close already, only one heartbeat away from his orgasm.

'Kilian, please, my consort!' He whimpered trying to make Kilian move and satisfy his need.

'No, my beautiful Albert. I want you to come for me first. Now. Just like that.'

Kilian sucked harder on his throat and pressed Albert's body into the mattress with his own weight. Albert arched with a strangled whimper as everything inside him clenched with lust and then he spilled his seed between their bodies.

“Yes, my favorite, come for me!” Kilian purred at his neck, hoarsely and contently. “Give it all to me, my beautiful Albert.”

Albert fell down on the mattress again and gasped for air. Kilian shifted his weight and looked at Albert, tenderly. Albert gazed sheepishly up at him as Kilian softly caressed his face.

He could feel his mate hard and needy deep inside himself, sensed his almost painful arousal in his mind and his own body, which reacted to the lust of the other Wraith with new desire, in spite of his intensive climax only minutes before.

'Why do you always want me to come first?' His question sounded both defiant and provoking. Albert could feel Kilian's amusement in his mind, but his answer was only tender and gentle.

'Because there's nothing more beautiful than to have you in my arms, seeing and feeling you coming, my beautiful Albert. I'm crazy for you and nothing satisfies me more than to hold you and sense your ecstasy.'

'You didn't see it.' Kilian couldn't have seen it sucking on his throat.

'Not with my eyes, my beautiful Albert. But with my heart. And now I will see it with my eyes, too, when you'll come for me again.'

Kilian began to move and Albert looked into Kilian's eyes, lost in the golden depths while he moved in unison with his mate enjoying their complete bonding.

'I want you to come with me, my consort', he asked him longingly and Kilian gifted him with a smile full of love and ardor.

'I will, I promise you, my beautiful Albert.'

Softly, he pressed his feeding hand on Albert's chest, knowing very well that Albert's pleasure would be much more intensive if Kilian filled him with his seed and his life-force at the same time. Albert shivered expectantly underneath him as he 'bit' down.

They looked each other in the eyes all of the time and then Albert arched widely in ecstasy and pleasure. 'Kilian!'

Kilian moaned as Albert's exuberant lust washed over him and swept him away, and Albert gasped for air as Kilian reached his own very forceful climax sensing the wave of Kilian's satisfaction in his own body, too.

He desperately clung to Kilian until the passion faded away and only the soft and warm afterglow floated their bodies.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------

 

Later, Albert lay nestled close in Kilian's arms, his head on his chest while Kilian stroked his hair with soft fingers.

Sometime, he raised his head, settling it on one hand to look at Kilian. They were still in a loose telepathic contact and for the first time since he had had to leave his human family he didn't feel the dull ache in his heart, which had been his constant companion the whole time since that night.

He hadn't to speak loudly with Kilian, but it often was easier for him, because he first had learned to deal with his telepathy in his puberty. He had known that he could read the thoughts of his family but it hadn't felt right and his ability to do that had frightened him in his childhood.

Kilian had comprehended right from the start when they first had met that Albert oftentimes preferred to use spoken words instead of telepathy and he had accepted that, even when he hadn't known anything about his past.

Albert hesitated for a short moment and Kilian smiled at him reassuringly. “What do you want to know, my beautiful Albert?”

Kilian looked relaxed, sated and happy and he was so beautiful that it took Albert's breath away.

“You said that you waited for me to be yours such a long time. How long is 'long'?” He inquired, curiously.

Kilian considered him dreamily while he let the silky long strands of Albert's white mane glide through his fingers, stroking Albert's slim leg with his other hand.

“Right from first sight, Albert. Since I first looked at you.” He smiled a little bit melancholy. “I really think that you're the only one who didn't realized that right form the start.”

“Uh. For three years by now?” Kilian had wanted him for three years?

“Yes, for three years by now.”

“I always thought that you're not the type for this kind of serious relationship. I thought you would prefer brief encounters.”

Kilian shrugged his shoulders.

“That was true until I met you, Albert. I saw you and knew immediately that you're the one I want to have as my consort. Only you and no-one else. I'm young and I didn't want to bond with someone so early in my life but you really knocked me out right from the start. And I knew that I only want you and won't never want anybody else.”

Albert thoughtfully chewed on his lip. “Actually, how old are you? You know my age, so it's only fair if I know your age, too.”

Kilian chuckled, quietly. “I'm not as young as you are, my beautiful Albert. Considering human lifespans I'm very very old, but I'm very young for a Wraith”, he replied with amusement. “I'm a hundred and twenty years old, Albert.”

“You're only a hundred and twenty years old and the Commander of a Hive, nonetheless?”

Albert was stunned. He had thought that Kilian must be at least three-hundred years old and even that would have been very young for a Wraith.

There normally was no way for a Wraith becoming the Commander of a Hive if he wasn't at least five hundred years old, he would have had too little experience.

Kilian had been the third in command on the Hive he was the Commander now and had been much too young for that, too.

His old Commander had died because of the hoffanian epidemic in the early days of the alliance and the Hive had needed a new Commander.

Albert had always known that his two superior Commanders oftentimes made unexpected decisions, but this one really astonished him.

“Did Todd and Raven know how young you were?” He asked, disbelievingly.

Kilian grinned. “Yes, they knew. Do you think that I don't have my Hive under control, my consort?”

“Yes, you have it under control. But your second is much older than you and he was the second of the former Commander. Didn't he feel passed over?”

“No. In fact, he was the one who made the suggestion to Todd and Raven. He is like a father to me, Albert. He made me the person I already am and he always said that the one with the greatest skills and abilities should be the one in command. There's no-one more loyal or trustworthy on this Hive – apart from you.”

Albert smiled. “You never have to doubt my loyalty or my trustworthiness, my consort.”

“Yes, I know that, Albert.” He gave him a chaste kiss. “I had few loose relationships, one with a human, but this was all before I knew you. There has been no-one else but only you since I saw you for the first time.”

“A human?” Albert hadn't expected to hear that.

Kilian shrugged. “He was a worshiper. He was beautiful and passionate and he wanted me. I have been adventurous and ardent. He taught me the kissing.” He paused for one moment. “I really liked him.”

Albert stroked Kilian's face.

“I thought that you made your offer to lay your claim on me only because you wanted to save me from the other Wraith-Commander, me and the whole alliance.”

Kilian shook his head. “No, Albert. I had never let the Commander take you without fighting that's true, but I wanted you right from first sight.  
I only wished that it hadn't had to be this way that you have no other choice than to accept my offer. I never wanted to force you to become my consort. But there was no other option at this moment to repulse him.  
He definitely wanted you and he absolutely wanted to hurt you. He was looking forward to harm you and humiliate you, I could see it in his eyes. And I will never let anybody do you any harm, Albert.  
I know that you only accepted my offer because he let you no other choice but please believe me that I had withdrawn my offer if you had asked me to.  
That's why I left Atlantis without you. I wanted to give you some time to think about it. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do.”

Albert kissed Kilian longingly. “Thank you for giving me time to think. You gave me the time I needed to realize that I really want you, too.  
Not because of my thankfulness because you saved me and not because of some sense of duty, but because I really want you.  
And I know by now why I felt uncomfortable right from the start whenever you were close to me.  
Because I already wanted you right from the beginning. But I couldn't admit that because I had been so fixated on humans. I cannot promise to you that I'm able to become more Wraith than I already am. But I really want to be with you and not with somebody else.”

Kilian smiled at him. “I don't want you to change, Albert. I know what I have said earlier and I'm really sorry for that. I was excited and annoyed because you have rejected me and I thought that you have done that because you regret our first night together. But I absolutely don't want you to change. You're just as perfect as you already are, my beautiful Albert.”

“I haven't regretted our wonderful night and I won't ever do that. I only don't want anybody else than you to see me when we're together and I'm … so out of my mind”, Albert admitted, ashamed and embarrassed.

Kilian caressed him with desire and ardor. “I don't want that, too. This sight is only mine”, he whispered huskily at Albert's lips.

They kissed each other deeply and passionately and when Kilian pressed Albert into the mattress, pushing inside him with one tender thrust, Albert welcomed him eagerly and longingly.

Kilian possessed him with burning desire and Albert gave himself to his mate unquestioningly and full of ardor. Together they reached the height of lust and satisfaction and then enjoyed the soft afterglow of their shared passion.

When Albert later fell asleep in the arms of his mate, exhausted and deeply sated he did so with a happy and relaxed smile on his face.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------

 

Albert just wanted to enter the bridge as he was held up by a young Wraith.

He had been waken up shortly when Kilian had gotten out of the bed to see if everything was all right on his bridge. He had wanted to get out of the bed, too, but Kilian had gently pushed him back.

“Just sleep a little bit longer, my favorite. It's night on the planet and your team is still resting, too.”

After few tender kisses, Albert had gratefully curled himself up on the bed again. He didn't need as much sleep as a human being, but for a Wraith he really liked to sleep – one of the things he had borrowed from the human customs.  
And his argument with Kilian earlier, telling his story twice in a short time and the making up with his lover had been more exhausting than he would have thought it possible.

Now it was early morning on the planet and Albert wanted to say goodbye to Kilian before he would be beamed up at the Stardust first and then to the planet.

The young Wraith stared at him in annoyance and kept him from entering the bridge.

For one moment Albert didn't recognized him at all, but then he realized where he knew the other Wraith from.

He was one of the survivors from the followers of the evil queen who had captured Cameron and he himself in the facility one year ago. She had assured herself of her follower's loyalty by keeping them addicted to a special drug and Todd had decided to take them on his Hives after they had been freed from the effects of the drug and questioned about the queen's intention. They would have been homeless otherwise and for a Wraith there was nothing more terrible than to have to survive without a Hive and the company of their brothers.

Three of the survivors had stayed on Todd's flag-ship under Raven's command, a scientist Albert had already been working with and two young warriors, all of them grateful for the chance they'd been given by the Commander of the alliance and they were utterly devoted and loyal to him.

The Commanders Alexandros and Justinus had also taken two of those Wraith on their Hives and they were grateful and devoted to the alliance, too.

Commander Leandros had taken two more scientists on board, who had been able to settle in on his Hive smoothly and Kilian had taken the last one of the survivors.

This one had been much more defiant and rebellious than the other ones. Todd first hadn't been sure about this young Wraith and had had reservations about taken him on one of his Hives, but Kilian had been able to to integrate the rebellious and contrary young Wraith into his Hive and the survivor had become a loyal and trustworthy crew-member in a very short time adoring his young Commander with all he had.

Which probably was the reason for his behavior right now.

Albert was Kilian's chosen consort and outranked every other Wraith on board except for Kilian himself, even the second-in-command.

No other crew-member would have dared to treat the consort of their Commander like the young Wraith did.

The young Wraith had spent a lot of time in a cell on Todd's flag-ship and Cameron finally had given him a name, too, because Cameron had done a large part of the questioning. He had been the first being able to get any kind of receptiveness from the distressed prisoner and he had chosen a Celtic name: Brennan.

Albert found the meaning of the name very applying to the young Wraith: 'sorrow'.

Cameron probably had found that, too and chosen the name because of that meaning. Brennan seemed to be sad and lonely and Albert suspected that Kilian had taken him on his Hive to let him feel less lonely and sad.

“What's that supposed to mean, Brennan?” Albert demanded, coolly. “Go away and let me enter the bridge!”

Although he felt real pity for the other Wraith he couldn't let it show, if he liked that or not.

He was on a Hive with strict rules and he had to make sure that he was respected by the crew, otherwise he would put Kilian to shame and he wouldn't let that happen, no way.

Not after what he had done the previous day. He wanted Kilian to be proud of him.

“You don't deserve him! You're not behaving like you should!” Brennan hissed desperately and came closer to Albert in a threatening posture. “I should be his consort. I would behave like it's appropriate and never reject him!”

Albert could feel his anger rising. He might feel pity for the young Wraith because of his unrequited feelings for his Commander, but the thought of anyone touching his Kilian – his mate – awakened his own possessive Wraith-drives.

“Kilian has chosen me to be his consort”, he growled, totally unusual to his common friendly and gentle behavior. “You will keep an appropriate distance to him!”

“I would be able to make him happier than you ever will! I should be in your place!  
I want to fight for my right to be with him!”

Albert stared at Brennan, speechless and completely stunned.

If two Wraith desired the same other Wraith as their consort it was possible that they fought for the right to take him, but not if two companions had already mated.  
And normally the Wraith who wanted to lay their claim on another would be the fighters, not two Wraith who wanted to be claimed.

“I'm his chosen consort and you have to accept that!” Albert hissed, feeling more jealous than he wanted to admit. He wouldn't let anyone else coming close to Kilian, no way, never.

The door to the bridge opened and suddenly, Kilian stood in the doorway, staring at them with an unreadable expression on his chiseled features.

Albert realized that he must have called for him telepathically without being aware of that, because Kilian seemed to know quite well what was going on.

He stood there, totally quiet, in his usual manner with his hands clasped behind his back.

Albert's heart started to beat faster and he could feel the well-known and boisterous desire make his breath falter.

This wonderful and remarkable beautiful young Wraith was his mate – and he wouldn't let anyone else be with him, no matter what would happen.

Kilian shot him a brief look and smirked before he payed Brennan his attention again.  
He seemed to appreciate Albert's possessive behavior. Albert hadn't shielded his thoughts and because of their close bonding Kilian was able to read them without any effort, even if they were not really telepathically connected.

“Brennan, you will treat my chosen consort with respect and politeness”, Kilian said quietly, but there was a dangerous undertone in his voice.

“He is the one not behaving as if it would be appropriate! He doesn't deserve you, Commander! He rejected you yesterday!”

Kilian considered Brennan, coolly. “What's going on between me and my consort is only our own business, and of no concern to you, Brennan. Or do you really want to tell me how I have to treat my consort?”

The young Wraith lowered his head. “Of course, not, Commander. I would never do something like that.”

Kilian's expression softened a little bit. “Your feelings honor me, but I don't return them, Brennan. And I never will. Albert is my partner, the one I want to share my life with and you have to accept it. Do you think that you will be able to do that?”

Brennan pressed his lips to a thin line and hung his head. “I don't know”, he finally admitted.

Kilian said nothing for a while and watched the young Wraith, thoughtfully. Albert could feel his pity and regret for Brennan, although Kilian didn't show those feelings to the young Wraith.

“Then you have to move to another Hive, Brennan”, he eventually said with sincerity.

The young Wraith flinched, but he nodded, hesitantly. He might be rebellious, but he would never have disobeyed an order coming from his Commander and he adored his Commander far too much to even think about this possibility.

“You will find another mate, Brennan. Someone who will return your feelings. Go to your working station and obey to the orders my second will give to you. I will stay away from my Hive for some time”, he commanded the young Wraith and Brennan nodded and went away after a last desperate look in Albert's and Kilian's direction.

Kilian watched him leave with a sigh before he smiled tenderly at Albert.

“You really called for me, Albert. I'm very glad that you did.” He came closer and gently pushed a silky strand of Albert's hair out of his face.

Albert swallowed. “You are my mate. It was right to call you”, he said in a raw voice.

“Yes, it was. Come with me, I will take you to the Stardust. I have to talk with Colonel Manderley and I prefer to do that personally. You can be beamed down to the facility from there.”

Albert followed his mate to the Dart-bay. “What will you do with Brennan, Kilian? Will you punish him?”

Kilian smirked. “That depends on how you define the word 'punishment', my beautiful Albert. I will send him to Kyrillos' Hive. Brennan is someone special. Not only because he's both an officer and a scientist at the same time, but because of his character. He has great potential, but he is very impetuous and needs someone who is able to tame him. And Kyrillos is just the right person to do that.”

“Kilian, you're kidding me, right?” Albert cried out, stunned, staring at his mate completely in shock. “You know Kyrillos! Brennan will hate him!”

Kilian shook his head and grinned.

“Maybe at the beginning. But I'm sure that the two of them will be perfect together. You will see it!”

With these words, Kilian headed single-minded for his private Dart and Albert hurried to follow him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I should explain the meaning of the names Cameron has chosen for the Commanders by now. I don't know if every Commander will show up in the stories I have in mind, but the names Cameron has found have all a special meaning and suit the Commanders somehow.  
> I really love John Sheppard as you can see in my stories, he's my favorite human character of the whole Stargate Universe, followed by Cameron, but the way he has chosen the names for the Wraith he had to deal with was not very respectful and I really like the Wraith. They are an amzing race! So Cameron had to choose the names with respect and care. I thought about giving Todd another name, too, but he's so well-known as 'Todd' that I decided not to change the name. And I think that Todd loves John too much to accept another name than the one John has chosen for him.
> 
> Kilian: Celtic, the 'Warrior'  
> Alexandros: Greek, the 'Protector' - he will definitely get his own story in the story following after 'What You Don't Deserve' and 'What You Don't Know', the better known Latin writing is 'Alexander'  
> Patricius: Latin, 'to be of noble origin'  
> Sebastinus: Latin, the 'Illustrious One' - 'Grandeur'  
> Germanus: Latin, the 'Teuton' ( I couldn't resist to include my country...)  
> Octavius: Latin, the 'Eighth' ( the real name of the great emperor Augustus)  
> Justinus: Latin, the 'Just' - a person knowing and respecting the law.  
> Iason: Greek, the 'Healer', well-known from the Greek saga ' Iason and the Golden Fleece'  
> Omiros: Greek, better known in the Latin writing 'Homer' the great ancient author of the legends: 'The Odyssee' and 'The Illias'  
> Leandros: Greek, the 'Man of the People ( or Nation)'  
> Marcos: Greek writing of the Latin name 'Marcus': 'Warrior', the man of the Latin God 'Mars'  
> and last, but not least:  
> Kyrillos: Greek, the 'Marvelous One' ( a person gorgeous and beautiful...)  
> Brennan: Celtic, 'Sorrow' or 'Little Teardrop'  
> Both of them get their own story starting soon!


	11. The Search For The ZPM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albert and Kilian are happy now and Albert has to concentrate on the search for the ZPM again. There will probably be some problems and puzzles to be solved before they will find them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the new chapter of Albert's story! The next updates will probably slow down a little bit because of my new story beginning tomorrow. The new one 'What You Don't Know' is a spin-off to this one and I have to match the chapters a little bit.
> 
> I hope you have fun with the new chapter. The story surprised me again, because it really doesn't go the way I first planed, but I think it's better this way!  
> Enjoy reading it. And please, give me feedback, I really would like to know what your thinking!

Alpert pushed his hair back with an impatient gesture of his hand and stared frustrated on the data in front of him which he tried to decode since several days, and he really felt as if he did so for an eternity.  
Everything could have been so perfect, if they only were able to go on with their search for the ZPM.

He was happy with Kilian and fell every night asleep in his arms, deeply satisfied. He had friends, who liked him and with whom he enjoyed to spend his time. Even Ronon treated him in a totally different way than he had before their joint mission and didn't let him feel as if he were a monster anylonger.

The only bitter pill in his happiness was the fact that they didn't go on with the right translation of the information and that they still didn't know where in the facility they should begin with their search.

He chewed thoughtfully on his lip and considered all what they knew until now again.  
Albert was absolutely sure that the ZPM were hidden somewhere in this facility and that no-one else had found them before.  
They were waiting here to be found and he wanted to be the one who would do so with his team.

He heard someone coming up to him and turned around to see who it was coming into the lab he primarily liked to work.

He smiled happily when he saw Kilian coming to him. Kilian smiled back and Albert felt overwhelmed one more time by the joy that he was the one who had had this luck to win the heart of this remarkable and beautiful Commander.

“Hi.” Kilian took him in his arms and kissed him hungrily.

Albert returned the kiss with longing and ardor. The Wraith actually were not a race which kissed a lot, but Albert loved kissing and he was glad that Kilian had been taught the kissing by a human. At that time, when he had been a child he had gotten a lot of kisses. Of course, not the sort of kisses Kilian gave him, but he had watched his human parents kissing and he had suspected since then that kissing must be something very pleasurable.

He could feel Kilian's desire pressing hard into his thigh, but Kilian didn't try to seduce him here in the lab. He had visited him in the lab several times during the last days, but he had never tried to mate with him here, again.

Albert rubbed his hips against Kilian's crotch in a very provoking way and purred in his ear: “Hm. I can feel your arousal, my consort.”

His behavior surprised himself, but he needed a distraction from his work so badly to clear his mind and what would be better for that than to make love to Kilian?

And in the meantime, he had become pretty sure that no-one would come into the lab when Kilian visited him here.

Kilian chuckled at his throat. “I'm always aroused if I can hold you in my arms, my beautiful Albert.”  
His voice was a smooth and dark purr and Albert shivered in anticipation as he began to open the fastenings of Kilian's jacket.

Kilian lifted his head up and gently pushed Albert away to look at him, sincerely.

“Are you sure, Albert?” he inquired quietly. “To be honest, I don't think that I'm able to stop if you'll get some reservations in between.”

Albert pulled Kilian close to him again. “I am sure. Please, Kilian, take me, here and now.”

Kilian made a sound, something between a growl and a moan and began single-minded to undress Albert, at least the clothes which would be in the way for their plan. Albert tucked impatiently at Kilian's jacket and Kilian shrugged it off his shoulders with an elegant move.

When they finally had gotten rid of the disturbing clothes, Kilian pulled Albert close to his body and kissed him eagerly. Albert gasped and wrapped his arms and legs around Kilian while his mate lifted him up and pressed him against the wall. Then he began to loosen him up with lubed tender fingers.

“Hm, you are astonishingly well prepared”, Albert whispered at Kilian's lips. Kilian laughed hoarsely. “I never lost hope that you would change your mind someday”, he whispered aroused and kissed him passionately. Albert moaned and moved impatiently, as best as he could manage in this position.

“Please, hurry my consort!” he demanded desperately. Kilian purred delighted and pulled his fingers out. Albert muffled his cry on Kilian's shoulder, as his mate thrust deep inside him.  
“Yes, just like that!” Albert moaned. Kilian snaked his hand between their bodies and stroked Albert's rock-hard shaft in the same rhythm as he thrust into him while he kissed him the whole time with great passion.

They moved, panting and moaning, coming closer to the edge with every thrust. Albert trembled in Kilian's arms and felt for Kilian's mind. Kilian bonded with him and Kilian's desire mixed with his own. They shared their passion and lust, trying to let their pleasure last as long as possible.

It didn't take long before Albert reached his climax and cried his ecstasy into Kilian's mouth, spurting his seed hot and wet in Kilian's hand. Kilian caught Albert's hoarse cry with his lips and spilled his release deep inside his consort with several powerful thrusts.  
Panting, they waited for their heartbeats to slow down and tried to catch their breath. Albert buried his face at Kilian's soft throat enjoying the warm afterglow of their ecstasy.

After a while, Kilian lowered Albert on the floor again and Albert sighed happily.

“That was just what I needed. I absolutely have no idea how to go on here. You helped me to clear my mind.”

Kilian grinned while he made himself presentable again. “You're welcome. I will do it again if it helps you to clear your mind.”

They smiled at each other. “May I ask what's your problem?” Kilian asked, curiously.

“Of course. You're the Commander-in-charge of the whole exploration and my mate. Whom should I tell what's up, if not you? I have the data here, which should us lead to the ZPM, but I just cannot decode them. The coordinates simply don't make sense! There's no entrance to that place. Rodney and I checked them several times, they lie there in the middle of nowhere!” He sighed. “Actually, how did you come here?” He asked while he scrolled through the data on the screen.

Kilian looked over his shoulder. “The Stardust beamed me down here. I didn't want to fly with my Dart.”

“Yes, it certainly was more comfortable and shorter than...” Albert raised his head and stared at Kilian. Kilian frowned. “What's up, Albert?”

Albert blinked. “That's the solution! Of course! Why didn't I think about that earlier?” He embraced Kilian excitedly.

“I'm glad that I was able to help you”, Kilian said returning the embrace. “But I don't know what you're talking about.”

“The beam-technology! It have been Wraith and the Ancients hiding the three ZPM! And of course, the Ancients knew the beam-technology! To make sure that no-one else will find them they have hidden them at a place where you need the beam-technology to get there! We have to look from the orbit and to go there by beaming. That's the only way!”

“You're probably right. This could actually be the solution. Come we go to Rodney and the others.” Kilian said, as excited as Albert.

Albert nodded and headed to the door, when Kilian suddenly caught his arm to stop him.

“What's wrong?” he inquired, astonished.

Kilian chuckled. “Your clothing, Albert. You should button up your trousers first, Albert before you run out of this lab”, he replied tenderly and kissed Albert, passionately.

 

\------------------------------------------------

 

Albert stood together with his team on board of the Stardust, ready to be beamed down in the facility. They had done all of the preparations they could do without knowing what they would find at this place and were ready and eager to start with their search for the ZPM.

The team included himself, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Major Lorne, who had the strongest natural Ancient-gene and the two Marines Randy Winter and Marc Warner. And then there were Dr. Miller and Commander Alexandros with three other Wraith from his Hive, a scientist and two young officers.

Commander Alexandros had changed his place on the orbit over Atlantis with Commander Germanus after the negotiation with the Queen. He had left with Kilian to fly to the planet with the ancient Wraith-facility, to protect the facility against the attacks of hostile Wraith and he had insisted to join the explorer-team personally.

He was one of the best fighters of the alliance next to Kyrillos and Albert was glad to have him in his team, because they didn't know what they would find deep inside the facility and it seemed to be a good idea to have someone with them who was able to fight in close combat.

Alexandros' second had taken his place on the bridge of his Hive and Alexandros seemed to be glad that he was able to leave his bridge for a while.

They had spent two more days with the decoding of the information and the preparations after Albert's discovery.

After Albert's idea with the beam-technology it had been easy to locate the right coordinates in the facility to know where they had to be beamed down, Albert and Rodney had been able to find the place very fast.

They didn't expect to find the ZPM right there where they would be beamed, but they hoped to find more information at this place.

Albert had spent the last night on his Hive in Kilian's arms and Kilian had been very demanding and insatiable, because he didn't know when he would see Albert again and how long Albert would stay away searching for the ZPM.

He had said goodbye to Kilian in the early morning and the Stardust had beamed him on board.

His team had welcomed him friendlily and they had teased him during the breakfast. But Albert knew that the teasing was friendly and somehow, he had manged not to be embarrassed.

Now he was waiting for the stream to seize them and beam them down in the depths of the facility. Which the stream did after a few seconds.

 

\---------------------------------------------------

 

It was very dark, but Albert had a good night vision like every Wraith and was able to adapt himself very quickly. They stood in an ancient laboratory and Albert could see immediately that there was not only Wraith-technology, but the technology of the Ancients, too. Rodney mumbled something unintelligible at his side and switched his lamp on like the other human members of their team, too. Albert blinked as the beam of the lamp was shining into his eyes.

“Sorry.” Rodney lowered his lamp and looked around. “Wow! That's a real treasure-house!” He went to one of the old consoles and tried to activate it without hesitation.

Albert smiled and went to another one, trying to do the same.

“Please, be cautious, Rodney. You know that there have been some unpleasant surprises at such places before. Think twice, before you do something”, Major Lorne warned the scientist, but Rodney only rumbled.

“This alliance of Wraith and Ancient wanted the ZPM to be found, otherwise they wouldn't have left the information”, he stated, unmoved and laughed triumphantly as the computer started. “There you go! Let's have a look at this. I'm sure that there are a lot of very interesting things in this computer.”

Major Lorne sighed and turned to the two Marines. “Winter, Warner, you will take a look here around and make sure that there will be no unpleasant surprises, I will go there and do the same.” He pointed to a door at the other side of the room.

Commander Alexandros went closer to Major Lorne. “I'll come with you, Major”, he said and waved at his two officers who groped their weapons firmly and went at Major Lorne's side, too.

“I don't think that it's necessary to go there with four men”, he replied, sounding a little bit astonished.

Alexandros considered him with an impassive mask on his features. “Of course, it is. You're the one with the strongest natural Ancient-gene and I will make sure that nothing happens to you.”

His voice didn't tolerate any protest and Major Lorne even didn't try to protest against the decision of the impressing Wraith-Commander. He just sighed and nodded.

Dr. Miller and the Wraith-scientist had also switched two of the computers on and now stood there side by side, debating vivaciously. Albert just watched them for a while, delighted that the young human scientist didn't show any fear and treated his Wraith-workmate like he would have done so with any other human workmate.

His gaze fell at Rodney who ignored his surroundings completely, lost in the research of the new information, like he always did when he discovered something new.

He turned to his own computer again and became absorbed in the ancient Wraith-characters on the screen and which were rather different from the characters he knew.  
But he would reveal the secrets of this computer, he was sure about that.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------

 

Two or three hours had passed while they explored the unknown fittings and searched for further information, when Dr. Miller suddenly stumbled over a text in one of the computers by accident, which seemed to be very interesting and important.

Albert and Rodney became absorbed in the translation of the text which was written in a hodgepodge of Ancient and the ancient Wraith while the others explored the other computers for more data.  
Major Lorne took a look around from time to time, Commander Alexandros and his two officers always in tow.

Alexandros had meant what he had said and seemed to consider the protection of Major Lorne as his personal duty.  
Major Lorne had accepted it after several heavy sighs. He probably had realized that he would have no other choice.  
Commander Alexandros was one of the most stubborn and persistent Wraith Albert had ever met and he got his own way most of the times.

After two more hours, Albert and Rodney had been able to translate most of the text.

Rodney waved at the other members of their team and they came closer to the computer where Albert and Rodney were standing. Only Ronon Dex, the two Marines and the two Wraith-officers stayed on guard duty and watched the surroundings.

“Albert and I have translated most of this text. It speaks of some questions we have to solve, like puzzles or riddles, to get the ZPM. We already know that from the Ancients. They always do something like that. We have to solve them, otherwise, we don't get what we want.”

He paused for one short moment before he began to speak again.  
“By the way, we already have solved the first problem. If we had tried to go here in any other way than to be beamed down, we probably wouldn't live any longer. There are some very unpleasant traps on the way here. There actually is a way out of here. We can use it to go to the surface, but not the other way. We will be able to go to the others, but they cannot come to us. But we have to find the ZPM first. If we don't get them, the way won't be navigable. There will be traps, too. That's typically for the Ancients, too. They had a strange sense of humor.”

Major Lorne considered Albert and Rodney, frowning. “Do you know the next question?” He asked a little bit impatiently.

“Yes, we have to activate a hologram, which will inform us about the other problems and riddles. That's the second question. We have to solve a puzzle at one of the consoles to activate it. And if we're right, we will solve the puzzle only if someone with the Ancient-gene and a Wraith work together. You have the strongest Ancient-gene, Major Lorne and have to work with a Wraith.”

“I'm not a scientist, Rodney”, Major Lorne answered, uncomfortably.

Albert smiled, as he saw Rodney rolling his eyes in his typical way.

“We know that. You will solve the puzzle with me and Rodney will help you. But I'm sure that we'll need your strong gene. The sensors probably will react to our genes and maybe even check the strength of the genes. We don't know if they also can register if the gene is of natural origin or not. That's why you have to work with me”, he said to the young major.

Major Lorne hesitated, but then, he nodded. “All right. We should start with that. Which console?”

Albert pointed to another small computer standing on a desk in one corner of the lab.

“We think that it has to be this one. We couldn't activate it before, but maybe we will be able to start it if we try it together.”

They went to the desk and searched for a possibility to switch the computer on. After a while they found a depression at the underside of the desk. Two hands just fitted in into this depression.

“Major Lorne, let's try to out our hands into the depression”, Albert said and Major Lorne obeyed. They put their hands into it and waited for something to happen.

First, there was nothing, but then Albert could feel the material of the desk getting warmer and suddenly, the screen lit up and the computer started.

“Here we go!” Rodney contently rubbed his hands together and went at Major Lorne's side to have a better look at the screen. A geometric figure became visible on the screen spinning slowly around its axis and moving over the screen up and down.

Albert watched it and tried to find out what they had to do with this figure. After a while he thought that he had found the solution and began to speak at the same time as Rodney. “We have to stop the figure and its spinning.”

They smiled at each other and Rodney pointed to the buttons in front of the screen.

“Probably with those buttons here. Major Lorne, only Albert and you yourself have to press the buttons, no-one else. Try it.”

Major Lorne sighed and cautiously touched one button while Albert did the same with another button. The moving quickened and Albert bit his lip. His instinct told him that the quickening was a bad sign. They tried other buttons and the movement slowed down, again.

Alexandros, standing at Major Lorne's other side, considered the buttons and said all of a sudden: “You have to press the button down exactly at the same time and always the buttons opposite to each other, one by one. I will guide Major Lorne's hand and we have to bond telepathically, Albert. I think that this is the right solution.”

Rodney slowly turned to the Commander watching him with astonishment. The Commander grinned, mockingly. “What, Dr. McKay? Do you really think that an old and experienced Wraith-Commander is not able to think logically?”

Rodney actually blushed. “Of course, not, Commander”, he mumbled, shifting his weight uncomfortably and Alexandros laughed. “Uh, I'm glad to hear that”, he stated, wryly and laid his feeding hand over Major Lorne's right hand.

Major Lorne stiffened, but then, he relaxed and let the Commander guide his hand.

Albert bonded with Alexandros thoughts and together, they pressed the buttons down.  
The movement and the spinning slowed both down and then, the figure came to halt in the middle of the screen.

At the same time, the room lit up and the projection of a man became visible in the middle of the room.

It was a young man in the clothes of the Ancients, with a beautiful face and wavy dark hair.  
The projection floated over few inches over the floor and the young man looked down at the humans and the Wraith with sincerity.

“Welcome my friends! It really happened once again that humans and Wraith banded together to live with each other in peace, instead of exterminate one another. Now, listen to the story of the First Alliance and solve the puzzles and then, you will find and get three Zero Point Modules.”


	12. The First Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, Albert and his team will learn something about this First Alliance.  
> And they have to solve some puzzles to get the ZPM.  
> Will they really be able to do so?  
> And which problems will they have to solve?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a difficult chapter for me to write, I had to think a while about the three problems they have to solve.  
> I wanted to find problems where they really have to work together as a team of humans and Wraith.  
> Now, it's finally finished and I really hope you like it.
> 
> As always - have fun reading it and please give me feedback!

Albert stared at the projection of the young Ancient, who 'watched' them as if he were really seeing them, just like all of the other members of his team.

There was breathless silence in the whole room, while everyone waited for the hologram to continue to speak, which it did after a short moment.

“About more than ten thousand years ago, when the war between the Lanteans and the Wraith began, a small group of Lanteans and the Queen of a Hive thought that there had to be a solution for the feeding problem. They allied together to search for this solution, which certainly would help to end the war between their species, because no human being would have to die any longer, if a Wraith was feeding on him or her.”

The young man paused for few seconds and Albert could see that his team-members were as fascinated as he himself. He absolutely wanted to hear more about this First Alliance and about the occurrences ten thousand years ago.

The young man began to speak again:

“They used this facility which had been built by some Wraith of another Hive and expanded it deep into the ground up to here where you are standing right now. They connected the lanteanian and the Wraith technology in a way that there had to work Wraith and Lanteans together every time they were working and exploring here, otherwise the technology would have been out of functioning. They searched for a solution to let the Wraith their strength without killing the humans fed on. And they named themselves the 'First Alliance', hoping that other people would follow their example and join together.

Unfortunately, they were a thorn in the side of both, Lanteans, as well as Wraith. These Lanteans and Wraith hated each other so much that they didn't want to live in peace. They began to persecute the members of the alliance and tried to destroy the alliance itself. The members had to run away and to hide from their adversaries. When they realized that they would have no chance to escape their enemies, they hid their last three Zero Point Modules here in this facility and made sure that they would only be found by Wraith and humans working together.  
They left some information of the hiding place on different planets, hoping that one day, there would be humans and Wraith building an alliance, again, to come into their inheritance and to bring the whole galaxy peace.

After they had been able to do so, they spread all over the whole galaxy, but it didn't do them any good. The Queen's Hive had been destroyed, only the Commander and one of her sons were able to escape the inferno, together with one of the Lanteans. They escaped and left some information about their last shelter on an unknown planet after they had installed this hologram, an image of the last Lantean of the alliance, which should tell their story to the next alliance, hopefully coming here one day.

Now listen to the problems you have to solve and find the Zero Point Modules. But never use them in any other way than for peaceful purposes and for defense and never for anything else.”

The hologram went silent again and Albert swallowed, touched by the story he just had heard. When he turned around to have a brief look at the others, he could see that they were feeling much the same as he did.

Even Commander Alexandros looked like he was touched by the story. He hadn't been witness to the war between the Lanteans and the Wraith, because he wast 'only' five thousand years old, but he seemed to be as moved by the story as every other person in this room.

The hologram continued to speak and Albert focused on the words again.

“There are five problems to solve and you already have been able to solve two of them. You have used the beam-technology and you have activated this hologram listening to the story of the First Alliance.

Three more problems will follow. They will make sure that you are real allies, that you are able to act responsibly and that you are dignified enough to come into the inheritance of the First Alliance and find the three Zero Point Modules.  
The third problem you have to solve will check if you have enough knowledge to improve the research and exploration of the First Alliance and to solve the feeding problem.  
There will be a door in one of these walls opening, soon, and you have to go into that room and to solve the problem. If you are able to do so I will come back and tell you the next puzzle.”

The hologram disappeared and a door in one of the walls opened which hadn't been visible before.

Albert and Rodney looked at each other. “Well, we should go into that room and check what problem it is”, Rodney finally said in a husky voice. “Now, it would be good if Carson was here.”

Albert shook his head. “We have to find the solution without him. You have the same knowledge about our research and the data Kilian brought to Atlantis, as he has, we will make it. I only hope that your gene-therapy works, because I don't think that we can let Major Lorne do it with our help.”

Alexandros began to speak, unexpectedly, he was no-one who talked a lot and he normally preferred communicating telepathically.

“I think he only has to stay close and have physical contact with the console. Otherwise, we will do the same as we did before with the second puzzle,” he said in a firm voice.

Major Lorne shot Alexandros a startled and uncomfortable look, but he didn't protest, only sighed and went with Albert, Rodney and Alexandros to the next room. In the room were two tables with one computer placed on each of the tables.

Albert checked both and eventually said to Rodney: “I think, we have to work simultaneously. This one is for the Wraith, so it is for me, and the other one is of the typical Ancient design. Major Lorne, you have to stay with Rodney and to touch the table or the computer, please.”

“And please, don't get in my way,” Rodney mumbled, who already had switched his computer on, staring at the screen with fascination.

Major Lorne did his best to stay out of Rodney's way and to touch the computer, nevertheless, and it actually seemed to be sufficient, because Rodney grunted contently, as he saw the text on the screen.

Alexandros had taken his place next to Major Lorne, again, determined to protect the young major against all rigors.

Albert suppressed a smile and concentrated on his own computer. In the meantime, he had become able to read and understand the ancient Wraith-language without any problems. He read the text on the screen and he felt relief as he realized, that the problem wouldn't be too difficult to solve.  
They searched intensively for a solution since more than three years now and they had been able to make progress. The new data Kilian had brought from here had also helped them further with the research.  
The most difficult thing would be to coordinate with Rodney because they had to work simultaneously.

“Rodney, I think I have to bond with you telepathically”, he remarked, hesitantly.

Rodney pursed his lips. “Hm, yes, I think, it won't work otherwise. Fair enough, we will try it. But please don't nose around in my head.”

“I would never do something like that, Rodney,” Albert replied, feeling a little bit hurt and Rodney smiled at him.

“Yes, I know, my friend. I'm sorry. I'm simply not used to having someone in my head.  
And the last time I actually had someone in my head wasn't so good,” he added, thinking of Laura Cadman and the occurrences when she had been stuck in his head because of this bad accident with the Dart.

“I know, Rodney, only for this problem, I promise.”

He put out his mental feelers towards Rodney's mind and Rodney tried to relax and not to fight against the strange mind in his head. After few minutes they had really connected and began to work.

They had to change the enzyme in a way that it wasn't addicting any longer, but still protecting the organism of the human the Wraith fed on from the decline, in a simulation on the screen.

This had been their first attempt at their research, too, and they followed this attempt for more than three years now. They actually had been able to reduce the addicting effect, but they hadn't been able to stop the decline, only to slow it down.

Albert swallowed when he looked at the screen. They had only three tries and about one hour in the way humans would count the time. He really doubted that they would succeed in that short time, but they would do their very best, nonetheless.

They worked in silence, telepathically connected and Major Lorne and Commander Alexandros didn't try to disturb them.

They changed the molecules in the enzyme, added new components or filtered others out. They 'injected' the human with the changed enzyme and let the Wraith feed on the human on the screen.  
The first try failed, the second try, too, but they kept on working.

Suddenly, there was a quiet gong, which sounded faster with every minute passing by and Albert knew that the hour would be over, soon.

'Rodney, let's try this component.'

'We already used it with our own research and it failed.'

'Let's try it again, nevertheless, and we should add this one, too.'

'If you think it will help, well, let's try.' Rodney didn't sound very convinced, but he added the component Albert had suggested.

They 'injected' the human with the new enzyme and the Wraith began to feed on the human.

The gong sounded even faster and Albert's eyes were glued to the screen. Would the human on the screen grow 'older' and die? The Wraith continued to feed and then there was the last loud gong. The time was over.

Albert had closed his eyes instinctively during the last few seconds for not having to be a witness to their failure.

“Yes! We got it!” Rodney's triumphant cry sounded loudly in his head and in the whole room.

Albert's eyes flew open and he stared at the screen. The human 'stood' upright on the screen and looked young and powerful.

Albert smiled. And they had not only solved the problem, but also could have real hope for the future that they would solve the problem in the reality, too.

 

\---------------------------------------

 

After they had found the solution and solved the puzzle just in the last second, the hologram had become visible again and was now explaining what they had to do next.

“You have been successful with the third puzzle. Now you will hear about the fourth problem you have to solve.  
Another door will open, soon, and you will see some sort of control-room. There you'll find the next examination.  
One of you has to be the Commander of a ship of the Lanteans and another person the Commander of a Wraith-Hive. You have to work together to rescue the people living on a planet which is threatened by destruction. And you have to rescue all of the people living there. Two more persons have to operate the controls on your instruction. You have three tries to rescue the beings living on the planet.”

The hologram disappeared and another door opened in one of the walls.

Behind this door was a large room. In the middle of the room, opposite one another, there were two big chairs. One of the chairs looked like the Commander's chair of a Lantean's ship and the other chair like the Queen's throne of a Hive. In the height where the head of the person sitting in that chair would be, was a device which probably would put the person into the simulation.

At the walls were standing two consoles with controls, one of them a Wraith-console and the other an Ancient-console.

Abert looked around and said then in a hesitant voice: “I think it best that Rodney and I will operate the consoles and Alexandros and Major Lorne will sit in the chairs.”

Rodney nodded. “Yes, it will be the most reasonable.” Major Lorne and Alexandros looked at each other and went to the chairs, Major Lorne to the lanteanian chair and Alexandros to the throne. They sat down, but nothing happened. The consoles stayed dark and the device at the chairs didn't move, too.

Major Lorne frowned. “Nothing happens, I can't move this thing.”

Albert chewed at his lip and considered what they might have missed, when Rodney suddenly said, huskily:

“They have to change their seats. That makes it more difficult. Major Lorne, you have to be the Commander of the Hive and Alexandros, you have to be the Commander of the lanteanian ship. That's the real problem. That's what the whole thing here is actually about.”

Both of them stared at Rodney in surprise, but Albert nodded.

“Rodney is right. Change your seats, please. I'm sure it will work then.”

Alexandros and Major Lorne stood up and changed their places. They barely had taken their seats as the computers switched on and the devices glided over their heads. Albert and Rodney first saw nothing, but then they noticed devices at their consoles similar to the ones at the chairs. They put it over their heads and now, Albert could 'hear' Major Lorne in his mind and see the bridge of the Hive on his screen. He guessed that it would be the same with Rodney and Alexandros.

Albert could see the planet on a screen at the bridge of the Hive. It was attacked by unknown hostile space-ships and there was fire at many different places all over the planet. There was no doubt that the planet would explode, soon.

Now they had to rescue the people living on that planet in a big settlement and fight against the enemies at the same time.  
Albert had realized immediately that he could 'hear' Major Lorne, but that it didn't work the other way round. Major Lorne was on his own and had to be in command of the Hive and its crew.  
And it surely was the same for Rodney and Alexandros.

The first try failed pretty soon, and the planet exploded before Alexandros had saved even the half of the people living there with the beam-technology of his ship.

Alexandros with his thousands of years in experience of course had gotten used to his role much quicker than Major Lorne to his unfamiliar role as a Commander of a large Hive with a Wraith-crew.

After the second try, Alexandros had beamed up on his ship more of the humans and Wraith living peacefully together on that planet, but now it was clear that it wouldn't work with the beam-technology alone. And the jumper from the lanteanian ship couldn't help, because they had to fight against the hostile space-ships.

Albert desperately wished he could tell Major Lorne to use the Darts to collect the people on the planet, but he had no possibility and the crew on the Hive didn't mention it, too.

The well-known gong began to sound and Albert knew that they were running out of time. Suddenly, he could 'hear' Major Lorne's order to take the Darts and collect the humans and Wraith on the planet, and he pressed down the buttons on his console he hadn't been able to press down before that order, relieved.

The Darts shot out of the Hive and flew to the planet.

When the gong sounded for one last time, the last few Darts were back on board and the Hive and the lanteanian ship sped up and jumped into the hyper-space, just before the planet exploded.

They had solved the fourth problem, too, just at the very last moment.

Albert watched Major Lorne trying to get up to his feet. He seemed to feel a little bit dizzy and Albert hurried to help him, but Alexandros was already at the major's side and gave him support as the young man tried to shake the last remnants of the simulation off.

“You've done very well, Major Lorne,” the ancient and experienced Commander said with his dark and sonorous voice and let go of the major when it was clear that he was able to stand on his feet and walk alone. Albert got the impression that he did so hesitantly, as if Alexandros wanted to hold Major Lorne's arm for a little bit longer.  
The major looked at the Wraith and gifted him with a short and cautious smile.

“Thank you, Commander,” he said hoarsely.

Rodney grinned at the impressing Wraith-Commander and said in a casual manner:

“You weren't as bad either, Commander. By the way, how many ships of the Ancients did you fly until now?”

Alexandros grinned back, showing all of his sharp teeth. “In fact, it was the first one, Dr. McKay.”

“Uh. Wow. You have been damn good for your first time, Commander.”

It was pretty hard to get a compliment like this coming from Rodney McKay and the Commander slightly bent his head.

“Thank you, Dr. McKay. I'm glad that I was able to impress you.”

Rodney considered him, mistrustfully, but if the Commander had meant it in a mocking way, he didn't show it.

They went back to the first room, seeing Dr. Miller and the Wraith-scientist sitting comfortably on the ground and discussing something.

They had decided, to not use some of the other computers while they were solving the puzzles and Dr- Miller, the scientist and Ronon had nothing to do, opposite to the two Marines and the two Wraith-officers being on guard duty.

All they could do was wait for the others to solve the problems and they had made themselves as comfortable as they were able to.

Ronon had sat down next to them and was eating an energize-bar.

When the four came back into the room, the hologram became visible again and it almost seemed, as if it were looking at them with something akin to goodwill.

“You have solved the fourth problem, too. Now you have to prove yourselves just one more time and then the three Zero Point Modules will be yours.”

The hologram paused for one moment and Albert swallowed, uncomfortably. The fifth problem certainly would be the most difficult to be solved. It was always like that. But what would they have to do to be allowed to come into the inheritance of the First Alliance, to be considered as dignified enough?

 

\-------------------------------------------

 

“Two of you, one Wraith and one of our own lineage, have to bond with each other, completely. That's the only way to make sure that you formed a real alliance.”

For one long moment, there was only silence, but after a few seconds, Major Lorne loudly gasped for air.

Albert could see the major staring at the hologram, stunned and a little bit terrified.  
Alexandros quietly stepped closer to the young man.

“There will be another door opening and in the room behind that door are some sensors which will record your bonding and assess the quality of it. If one of the partners doesn't bond willingly, the sensors will be able to detect it, too.  
Only after this bonding you will get the three Zero Point Modules and be able to go back to the surface, again.”

The hologram disappeared and Albert and his team stood there, speechless and stunned.

Major Lorne's face was pale and he looked from Albert to Rodney.

“I guess that I'm the one of the Ancient lineage. But what have I to consider as a 'complete bonding'?” He asked, hoarsely and cautiously.

Rodney uncomfortably shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“I think that it's exactly what you think it is, Major,” he answered, sounding embarrassed and unsure.

“You're kidding me, right?” They all flinched as they saw a door opening in one of the walls.

Major Lorne snorted. “I only hope that there won't have to be spectators.”

Albert felt pity for him, that was really a situation he himself didn't want to be in.

“There is another possibility as the one Rodney thought of,” he remarked, quietly.

Major Lorne returned his gaze with new hope. “What are you thinking of?” he demanded.

“The Gift of Life, together with a mental bonding. There's nothing more intimate and complete. And I really think that the hologram meant this solution. Wraith are pretty choosy with whom they share the Gift of Life.  
Mating can be between two people who even don't like each other without actually being a rape. After the consumption of a lot of alcohol for example, humans do that oftentimes.  
The Gift of Life is the most valuable gift a Wraith can present a human with. And these sensors certainly will record if it is giving willingly or not.”

Major Lorne bit his lip. “I see. That sounds logical. And who will it be? You, Albert?”

“I will do it. Albert has a mate.” Everyone in the room turned to Commander Alexandros who stood close behind the major. “We will bond with each other, Major Lorne.” The Commander's voice didn't allow any protest.

Major Lorne stared at the Wraith. Alexandros looked back, firmly and quietly. “I will give you the Gift of Life and we will bond telepathically. Come on.”

He laid his hand at the major's shoulders and guided him to the next room, where the door was still open.

They others watched in silence the Wraith-Commander and Major Lorne disappear behind the door, which closed behind them.

Albert sat down on the floor at Ronon's side and Rodney followed his example.

Ronon gazed at Albert and inquired in a low voice: “What now?”

Albert shrugged his shoulders.

“Now, we have to wait, Ronon. Wait and hope that their bonding will be complete enough and that the sensors will record and accept it.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------

 

Albert didn't know how much time had passed while they waited for Major Lorne and Alexandros to come back. Then they hopefully would know if they had solved the last problem and proved themselves to be worthy and dignified enough to get the ZPM and to come into the inheritance.

No-one spoke and no-one was in a speaking mood.

Albert looked up, startled, as the door opened again all of a sudden and Major Lorne and Alexandros came back to their team.

Major Lorne looked flushed and seemed to be embarrassed and Alexandros had placed his hand on the major's shoulder in a possessive way.

Rodney, who had brooded over some heavy thoughts the whole time they had been waiting, got up. “And?”

Major Lorne shrugged. “We certainly will know it, soon, I guess,” he replied huskily.

Albert could see the change in his face and in his posture. He looked much younger, upright and powerful.

Alexandros must have given him a large dose of his own life-force and Albert shot him a brief and concerned look. Alexandros smiled at him.

'Don't worry, Albert, I'm fine. I was freshly fed.' He could hear Alexandros voice in his mind.

Albert was about to answer to that statement, as the hologram became visible again in the middle of the room.

“You have passed the fifth examination, too. You have formed a real alliance and are ready to live in peace with each other.  
Now you're allowed to take the three Zero Point Modules, and the way to the surface will be navigable for you. You can come back any time you want to and explore this facility, the bequest of the First Alliance.  
But you always have to be careful and to make sure that this inheritance won't fall into the wrong hands.  
Live together in peace and bring this peace to the whole galaxy.”

With these words, the young Ancient faded away and the floor opened at the same place the hologram had floated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably described the puzzles not as detailed as some of you would have wished to, but please remember that English isn't my mother language. I always write the original German version in a way that I'm able to do the translation all by myself, (in spite of the grammar, of course). The original isn't more detailed than the translation and I'm not able to do it better.  
> I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter, nevertheless!
> 
> And if you are disappointed because you don't know what really happened between Major Lorne and Alexandros, I promise there's no need to. The two guys will get their own story after this one and there certainly will be a flashback...


	13. Three ZPMs And Other Pleasures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albert and his team have passed all of the examinations and are now allowed to get the three ZPMs.  
> Someone has to bring them to Atlantis and Albert and Kilian have their private celebration, while the others get some rest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit shorter than the others, but I didn't want to let you wait any longer!  
> The next one will be longer again, I promise.
> 
> As always - enjoy reading it!
> 
> I want to thank you my two betas:  
> liz_mo for your wonderful help, even when you had no time at all, you always managed to do the beta and give me good advice.  
> Dulinneth thank you so much for reading this chapter so fast and help me to improve my English!

Albert's breath faltered as the bottom opened. He could see into a shaft filled with warm light shining up at them.  
Rodney beside him gasped for air as a rostrum began to move upwards with a slight hum, three ZPMs stood atop it under a shimmering shield of energy.

There was a breathless silence throughout the room when the rostrum finally stopped and the shield of energy slowly fizzled out.  
Albert gazed at Rodney who stood there, his hands curled into fists, staring at the three ZPM with such wistful and longing eyes that Albert couldn't suppress a smile.

“Rodney, please, take the ZPMs,” he requested of his friend and Rodney swallowed, deeply touched, reaching out with his hands. But, only a few centimeters before the first ZPM he suddenly stopped, turning to Albert with an uncertain look upon his face.

“Are you sure? Don't you think that you should take them? Or Major Lorne? My Ancient-gene couldn't be strong enough...”

Albert shook his head. “No, Rodney. I do believe that it's of no importance any longer. Your gene works fine. It means so much to you – I really do not think that anybody in this room will begrudge you this moment.”

Major Lorne nodded agreeing. “Yes, Dr. McKay, please, take them. You really appreciate them most.”

Rodney drew a deep, shaky breath and very carefully lifted one of the ZPM up. He held it in his hands looking at the Zero Point Module, reverently.

“It's so beautiful,” he whispered, gliding his hand over the top. “I think it's still almost fully loaded with energy. Somehow, I can sense it...”

Albert cleared his throat, feeling grateful and moved by the meaning of this moment. “It would be great if they really still held so much energy.”

Rodney handed him the first ZPM and took the second in his trembling hands.

“It's a miracle. They are so beautiful.” He turned to his other team-members and considered them for a while. Then, he handed the second ZPM to Commander Alexandros.

“We certainly would never have been able to win them without your willingness to share your precious life-force with one of us. Please, Commander, take this ZPM.”

Commander Alexandros looked at him in surprise, but then, he bowed his head, obviously deeply touched, too.

“Thank you, Dr. McKay. I am truly honored.”

He took the ZPM from the scientist's hands with great care and held it close to himself.  
Albert could see from the corner of his eyes that Major Lorne instinctively stepped closer to the Wraith-Commander. Alexandros cocked his head to the side and looked at the young major, intently and with a slight smile. After a short moment of hesitation, Lorne smiled back, hesitantly and uncertainly, his cheeks colored with red.

Rodney only had eyes for the three Zero Point Modules and now lifted the third from the rostrum, which sank into the ground again. The bottom closed after the rostrum had sunk completely into the ground.

Albert considered the ZPM in his hands with a smile and turned to face his team.

Ronon, the two Marines, the young Wraith, Dr. Miller and Alexandro's scientist, had all come closer, looking reverently at the three ZPM which Albert, Rodney and Alexandros held in their hands.

Even Ronon seemed to be touched, having lost his usual cold and reserved posture he always showed when Wraith were around. Although he treated Albert in a totally different way now, Ronon still didn’t like the other wraith much more than before.

But, in this very special moment, he just looked as relieved and happy as all the other people in the room.

Albert glided his hand over the Zero Point Module in an almost admiring and loving gesture. They had been considered dignified and worthy enough to come into the inheritance of the First Alliance. Now, they had to prove that their own alliance was worthy and dignified enough to follow in the First Alliance's footsteps and to complete their work.

Which meant nothing less than finding a solution for the feeding problem and to bring the whole Pegasus-galaxy peace.

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

Albert smiled happily when he saw Kilian coming up to him.

They had had radio contact after their successful search for the ZPM with the teams in the upper parts of the facility, but it had taken several hours for them to make their way up to the surface again with their precious treasure.

The way up was easily navigable now and would be so in the future. It was a system of corridors and transporters and they had not experienced any nasty surprises on their way back at all.

“Kilian!” He went to his mate, marveling about how much he had already missed him, although they hadn't been parted for too long.

Kilian embraced him with a tender smile.

“Hello, my beautiful Albert. You really succeeded! You really got the three ZPMs!” he whispered in Albert's silky mane.

“Yes, we really got them and brought them with us. It's a miracle!” Albert snuggled close to his mate, inhaling his scent with delight.

Someone cleared his throat behind them. Albert turned to Rodney with a sheepish look upon his face.

Rodney grinned at them. “I really understand how much you missed each other. In fact, I miss Jenny and Dorothy as much as you've missed one another, but I think the most important thing now is to get the ZPMs to Atlantis, isn't it?”

Kilian smirked. “You're absolutely right, Dr. McKay. You will leave with Commander Kyrillos' Hive, instantly. There are difficulties on one of the planets where the survivors live and Commander Todd and Colonel Sheppard will see to the problems personally. They have asked Kyrillos to come with them to train the settlers in martial art. The Stardust will beam you on board and then to Kyrillos' Hive.”

Rodney nodded and watched Albert, attentively. “You will stay here, Albert, am I right?”

Albert smiled at his friend. “Yes, Rodney. There's so much to explore here. And my place is at Kilian's side. But it is important that the ZPMs be brought to Atlantis, quickly. You should bring them personally to Atlantis and make sure that they will be used in the right way.”

Rodney sighed. “Yes, that's true, Albert. But, I will miss you.”

Albert let go of Kilian and firmly pulled Rodney close to himself. “I will miss you, too, Rodney. But it's the most reasonable thing to do for me to stay here and I really want to learn more about the First Alliance. Goodbye, Rodney. Please, take Jenny and Dorothy in your arms for me.”

Rodney returned the embrace and cleared his throat. “Yes, I will do that. And I really understand you. Goodbye, Albert.”

He lifted the bag with the three ZPMs and pressed it close to his body. Albert watched with a slight melancholy smile as Rodney went to the middle of the corridor waiting for the Stardust to beam him on board. Kilian contacted the Stardust via radio and gave his okay to beam Rodney up and then, Rodney disappeared in a stream of light with the ZPMs.

Kilian laid his hand on Albert's shoulder.

“Come, you all should get some rest.” He looked at Major Lorne, Ronon Dex, Dr. Miller and the two Marines.

“Let yourselves be beamed on board the Stardust too and get a few hours rest, before we continue on.” He gazed at Albert with a hungry expression in his eyes, which made Albert shiver in anticipation.

“You too Albert. The Stardust will beam you to our Hive. I will come after you as soon as possible. I just have to talk to Alexandros first.”

Major Lorne seemed to be relieved that he could rest for some hours, but Dr. Miller looked wistfully into the corridor in front of him. Albert smirked. He felt the same way. There were so many unknown rooms and labs waiting for them to explore their secrets and information and he felt as eager as the human scientist to do this and reveal those secrets.

Kilian frowned, knowing what was in Albert's mind. “Later, Albert. Rest first.” he ordered quietly, but Albert could hear the firm determination in his mate's voice. Kilian wouldn't allow him to go on with the research right now, Albert could see it in his eyes.

Commander Alexandros seemed to be determined to support Kilian's order, he shot Major Lorne an intent and demanding glance and Major Lorne blushed as he caught this look.  
Albert was pretty sure he know why Major Lorne's face had reddened and that he wouldn't be the only one spending the next couple hours on a Hive. Major Lorne would surely be beamed on Alexandros' Hive later, when Alexandros and Kilian had finished their talk.  
He suppressed a smile, when Major Lorne looked at him, furtively and uncomfortably, just as if he had been able to sense Albert's musings.

“Fair enough. I know that you're right, Kilian. The last hours were rather stirring and exhausting. To take a break would be good, I guess,” Albert finally gave way, trying to spare Major Lorne more embarrassment.

He stood in the middle of the corridor and his team followed his example without any protest and stood beside him.

Kilian ordered the Stardust to beam them on board and the gloomy tunnel in the ancient Wraith-facility disappeared in a stream of white light before Albert's eyes.

 

\-------------------------------------------------

 

Albert didn't know how long he had been sleeping when he awoke, because another body was pressed demanding and longingly against his own.

He blinked and turned his head. Kilian lay behind him and smiled at him with tenderness and longing.

“Hm, what a nice way to wake up,” he purred contently, still half asleep, rubbing his backside against Kilian's groin in a very provoking way.  
Kilian growled aroused and pressed Albert into the mattress. He pushed Albert's long, silky mane to the side, because he wanted Albert's hair to be out of the way for his plan. Then, he pressed his mouth hungrily on the sensitive spot at Albert's neck, licking with his tongue over Albert’s skin.

Albert shivered with arousal. He was very sensitive at his spine and he moaned loudly, as Kilian gently bit down, leaving wet traces along the length of his spine down to his waist with his smooth lips.

Kilian laughed, huskily, very pleased. “Hm, you like it,” he murmured blowing over the wet skin before he carefully sank his teeth into Albert's flesh again.

“Yes!!” Albert arched under Kilian, but Kilian's hand pinned him firmly down on the mattress again.

“You have to obey, my consort and let me take you the way I want to,” Kilian growled and smacked him slightly on his backside.

“Kilian!” Albert gasped for air and tried to move again, but Kilian growled, displeased and straddled his thighs.

“You will do what I told you to do, my beautiful Albert,” he commanded in a rough voice, pressing Albert's arms down on the pillow over his head with one hand.

Albert lay still with another longing moan and Kilian bent his head, nibbling, sucking and licking at the oversensitive skin over Albert's spine until Albert was crazy with burning desire, whimpering and wriggling underneath his mate. Kilian knew quite well, which places on Albert's body were especially responding to his caresses and where he had to lick, to bite and to kiss to drive Albert crazy with need and desire.

'You're mine!' Albert could feel Kilian's arousal hard and needy at his thigh and forcefully and demanding in his head at the same time. He panted as Kilian bonded with his mind, sharing his passion and desire with Albert.

'Yes, I'm yours, only yours, my mate! Please, take me, Kilian!'

'Oh, no, not yet. You have to learn patience, my beautiful Albert.'

Kilian turned Albert on his back and looked down at him. Albert could see the burning desire in his golden eyes and swallowed, craving to feel him deep inside his body. Kilian was so beautiful as he knelt over his body like that, his face suffused with passion and tenderness and his wavy, thick mane falling tousled down to his shoulders.

'Please, Kilian, don't torture me!' Albert begged and tried to pull Kilian down to him, but Kilian only chuckled and shook his head.

'We will do it my way, my beautiful Albert. I told you to be patient. You will get what you want, but not now...'

He bent his head and teased Albert with soft kisses on his face and his neck, until Albert moaned and whimpered, trapped helplessly underneath the young Commander who took his time to explore and stroke Albert's trembling body.  
He playfully bent his head down to Albert's throat and laughed very pleased as Albert eagerly tilted his head to the side to give him better access. Albert obviously couldn't wait to be marked again.

“Oh, no, Albert. You have to wait until I'm buried deep inside you,” he murmured, blowing gently over the sensitive spot and Albert groaned with frustration.

“You're cruel,” he complained, not able to articulate spoken words any longer. Kilian's laughter filled his head.

'No, I'm not. I just want to enjoy you...' purred Kilian contently, nibbling, sucking and licking a trace from Albert's neck down to his belly. There were also some spots where Wraith were sensitive to lust, especially the flanks. Kilian now sank his teeth into the spot at Albert's waist and sucked as Albert cried out with need and desire, painfully aroused and almost out of his mind with passion and lust.

Kilian felt for the bottle standing on the bedside table and popped it open.  
Albert whimpering arched his back, when Kilian finally pushed his slippery finger deep inside him, not able to think straight any longer.

Kilian let go of his arms and covered Albert with his slim and strong body. He kissed him, passionately, while he tenderly opened him up and Albert wrapped his arms firmly around his mate and kissed him back as if his life depended on this kiss.

Kilian sighed and pulled his fingers out. Albert was more than ready as Kilian took him with a deep and demanding thrust.

He let go of his iron self-control and slammed into Albert's willing body, sinking his teeth into the smooth skin of Albert's throat. Growling, he began to suck and Albert cried out again, moving his hips with desperation to meet Kilian's punishing thrusts.

'Yes, my consort, yes, take all of me!' he tilted his head even more to the side, digging his nails into Kilian's shoulders.

Kilian pressed his right hand on Albert's chest while he thrust deep into his mate again and again with wanton abandon. Albert gasped for air and loosened the grip of his feeding hand, moving it down to Kilian's broad chest almost shyly.

Now, it was Kilian's turn to moan. 'Yes, my favorite, yes! Do it!' Albert sensed Kilian's anticipation and encouragement and 'bit' down on his mate's chest at the same time as Kilian did so on his own.

They moved their hips in unison, groaning and panting with feverish desire while they shared their life-force, lust and passion, Kilian still sucking at Albert's throat.

Finally, the lust and pleasure became too much for Albert to bear.  
He arched against Kilian and reached his climax, the pleasure and ecstasy overwhelming his body and mind. Kilian moaned at his throat and followed him over the edge, pumping his seed deep inside Albert's shaking body. Albert suppressed his cry of ecstasy in Kilian's shoulder, biting down hard and spurting his release hot and wet between their bellies.

Then, it was over and they just lay there, waiting for their heartbeats and breath to slow down again.

Albert cuddled up in Kilian's strong arms and relaxed with a content sigh, happy and sated.  
A brief thought came into his mind as sleep claimed him, but he wasn't able to keep it. He knew it was something important, but he felt too tired and the thought disappeared as quickly as it had come to his mind.

Albert sighed and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

 

\---------------------------------------------------

 

Albert woke up with the feeling that he had to remember something important. He blinked and frowned, annoyed because he knew that the thought was buried somewhere in his mind, but he simply couldn't remember what it had been, no matter how hard he tried.

Suddenly, there was a tender chuckling beside him and he turned his head. Kilian lay at his side, his head settled comfortably on his hand.

“Hey, sleepy head,” he remarked with tender amusement. “I’ve never met any freshly fed Wraith who sleeps as much as you do.”

“I like sleeping,” Albert rumbled sheepishly. Once again, he was glad that Wraith weren't able to blush. He shot Kilian a grim look, but Kilian didn't seem to be impressed at all by it.

He simply chuckled. “Yes, I know, my beautiful Albert.” They were still loosely connected and Albert could sense the depth of the emotions the other Wraith felt for him. He snuggled closer to him and smiled at him, happily.

Kilian returned the smile and gently stroked his face. “Stargate. You thought about a Stargate hidden somewhere in the facility. And I agree with you. There has to be a Stargate somewhere in this facility. Plus, there surely will be some information about the Stargate, too. I think that it's near the room where you found the ZPM, deep under the surface. I'm sure that the members of the First Alliance used a Stargate for their escape. They certainly didn't rely on space-ships only. It would have been easy for their enemies to catch them if they had tried to escape with space-ships.  
We simply didn't searched for a Stargate until now, because we didn't knew about the First Alliance. We thought that the facility was only used by Wraith and not by the Ancients. But it has to be there, hidden somewhere and waiting to be found, just like the ZPMs and we will find it, I'm sure about that.”

Albert gazed at him, astonished. “You know about this? You were able to catch my thoughts?”

Kilian kissed him, tenderly. “Of course, my favorite. We were connected. I sensed all of your thoughts and I wasn't as tired as you had been. So I remembered it when I woke up before you.”

Albert kissed Kilian back and pulled him down. “Yes, we will search for the Stargate. But there will be enough time for that later. I want to enjoy our time together, first. Who knows when we will have time for ourselves again...”

Kilian took him in his arms and kissed him with passion and longing.

“That's a very good idea, my beautiful Albert, really a very good idea,” he purred delighted in his ear and for a long time, all you could hear was their moaning and panting.


	14. Semper Fi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albert and his team are busy now with finding the Stargate hidden somewhere in the facility.  
> What will happen if they find it?  
> Plus, will they be able to let it work after this long time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is the new chapter and this time, it's a long one like I promised.  
> Thoday is holiday in Germany and I was able to do the translation sooner than I thought.
> 
> Dear Dulinneth, thank you so much for your incredible and fast beta!
> 
> I hope that you enjoy the new chapter, it is an important one for me. Please, let me know if you like it!  
> The meaning of the chapter-title will be explained during the chapter, in case you don't know it.

_One week later:_

They had actually been able to find it.

Albert had begun to search for the Stargate after spending a few more hours with Kilian and resting a little bit.  
Their team was still together, except for Rodney, who had had to fly to Atlantis because of the ZPMs and the others had all agreed with Albert that there had to be a Stargate hidden somewhere in the facility. They all had believed that the last three members of the First Alliance had used a Stargate for their escape from the facility and everyone had been determined to find it.

Of course, the other teams had been involved in the search for the Stargate, too, because the facility was much too large for one team to start a successful exploration. They had spread all over the facility and searched for the Stargate in every single room or corridor they could reach.

Albert had focused his search on the region where they had found the ZPMs. Alexandros and he himself had checked all of the computers in the rooms they had access to and finally found the information they needed in one of them.

The Stargate stood well hidden in this area, but the corridor had been buried underneath the rubble of an explosion. Albert and Alexandros had been quite sure that the last members of the First Alliance had caused the explosion to keep their pursuers from following them when they had escaped through the Gate.

Albert and his team had spent two days removing the rubble carefully to avoid more damage. When they finally had been able to make their way into the room, Albert just had stood there for a while and looked at the Stargate in front of him, thinking about the First Alliance.

He really wished to could find the planet where the three allies had escaped to. Of course, it was rather unlikely that they would find them alive, even if Wraith were able to live thousands of years. But they had been alone and victims of persecution and the chance that they had found a real shelter was rather unlikely, too.  
After a while, he had torn himself away from the sight and begun to check the Stargate and its working order.

Now, Albert stood alone at the dialing console and checked it. They hadn't managed to get the Stargate in working order, it seemed that the three refugees had blocked the Gate somehow to make sure that their enemies wouldn't be find out the last address. Albert now had to find a way to neutralize the barricade. Plus, he wanted to know the last address that had been dialed to see where they had hidden themselves and to follow them to this planet.

It was late at night and the humans of their team had withdrawn to get some rest, but Albert was fiercely determined to get the Stargate in working order and had decided to keep working.

Kilian had had to leave the planet with some crew-members, because they had to feed. They had taken a scout-ship and Albert had asked him to stay at the facility. He didn't need to feed and Kilian knew very well that Albert always felt uncomfortable when he had to watch other Wraith feeding. So, he hadn't insisted on Albert coming with him.

He tried to activate the dialing console one more time after he had reordered some of the crystals and he started to smile, as he heard a silent buzz and saw one chevron light up. He would be successful, soon, he could sense it. He reordered more crystals and considered his work. Now, it would work, he was quite sure.

Albert hesitated for a short moment, considering if he should try to dial an address, as if by magic the Gate all of a sudden began to move and the chevrons lit up. He just stood there, stunned and didn't know what to do. He was alone in this area, because he hadn't thought about someone dialing the Gate from outside. He had a radio with him, but even with the Stardust beaming some Marines here it would take several minutes until someone would be here to help him.  
He activated the radio and withdrew in the shadow behind the dialing console.

“Albert here. I have neutralized the barricade of the Gate and someone’s trying to dial in here. I need help!” he spoke into the radio, but there was no answer, only some noise.

The Gate turned one last round and then, the wormhole established. Albert was angry with himself because he had left his weapon in another room and had not taken it with him. Now, he had to rely on his physical strength.

One person came through the Gate and Albert froze as he recognized the person who suddenly stood there, only a few meters in front of him.  
The person turned their head and looked directly at him. Albert could see the right hand lifting something up and then, he was blinded with a bright flash of light. He tried to throw himself out of the way, but he didn’t have a chance. He sensed a sharp stab of pain in his chest and then, all went dark.

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

Albert woke up with a groan of pain.

His body seemed to burn with fire and he couldn't move. Not to mention that his mind was dazed and working much slower than normal.  
He was confused and it took him a while until he remembered what had happened to him. After that he even knew why his limbs didn't obey his mind's orders. He had been paralyzed with a weapon working on Wraith, too.

He tried to get up, but there was a heavy weight pressing him down on a flat surface he was lying on top of and he wasn't able to sit up. He could only turn his head, which he did now, cautiously.

He lay on some sort of plank bed in a room he had never seen before. His instincts told him that he wasn't in the Wraith-facility any longer. This room reminded him of one of Michael's labs he had partly explored with Rodney during the last three years.

Suddenly he heard laughter, hoarse and triumphant, and he turned his head to the other side. Wraith normally felt less fear than humans in dangerous situations because of their bodily strength, but Albert had to admit that he now felt real fear, almost panic, as he looked at the person standing there at the side of his bed.  
He really had hoped that he would never have to see this person again, at least not when he was unarmed and alone.

The ugly Commander of their allied Queen's Hive grinned at him, maliciously and wolfishly.

“I'm glad that you're conscious again, my pretty Albert.” Albert flinched as he listened to the words Kilian had said to him oftentimes, tenderly and lovingly. The Commander drawled them in a mocking way and let his name sound like an offence.

“You didn’t really think that I would let someone else take you, my pretty one, did you? You're mine and I will punish you because you let someone else than me touch you,” the ugly Wraith growled, angrily.

Albert only stared at him without speaking. He wouldn't speak to the Commander, not freely. He increased his mental shield preparing himself in case the other Wraith tried to oppress his mind, but the Commander didn't try to force himself into Albert's mind. He probably sensed Albert's mental power and waited with oppressing his mind until Albert would be much weaker.

“You're lying underneath a power-shield and won't be able to escape from me.” He turned to a console on the wall and pressed down some buttons. Albert watched his hands, so he would know which buttons caused or changed the power-shield, even though he couldn't use the knowledge right now.

The Wraith turned back to him and grinned maliciously, showing his sharp teeth.

“I discovered this lab by accident a few weeks ago when I was outside my Hive to feed. Your Michael had created some interesting things here.  
And he had collected several new Gate-addresses, which had been unknown to me before. The address to your facility was one of them. I dialed all, but, this one was locked. It's good that you found the Stargate and neutralized the barricade. I was waiting for this to happen.  
I know that my queen probably has informed Atlantis about my departure by now, but they won't find us here. No-one knows this place except for me.”

He came to Albert's side and reached out with his hand. He bent down to Albert's head and groped for his silky hair.

“I have to see to some things first, but, when I'm back again we will have a lot of fun with each other. Plus, I will take what's mine, my pretty Albert,” he hissed into Albert's ear and Albert shivered with revulsion.

The Commander straightened again and laughed, cruelly. “I will come back, soon and then we will enjoy ourselves.”

He turned around and left the room. Albert watched him leave with horror and felt terrible loneliness and helplessness. The last time he had felt this way had been as a boy when he had had to leave his human family to live among his own species.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------

 

Albert had tried to free himself from his difficult position, but the power-shield pinned him down on the plank bed and he had no chance of getting up.

“Albert.” At first, Albert thought he had misheard and that his senses were playing tricks on him, but then, he heard it again. “Albert!”

He turned his head and couldn't believe his eyes, as he saw Ronon Dex standing in the doorway.

“Ronon! What are you doing here?” he asked, completely stunned.

Ronon shook his head. “That's not important now, Albert. We have to set you free first. I'm afraid that he will come back, soon. We don't have much time to release you from this shield.

Albert pointed to the console with his head. “Please, go to the console. I watched him and know which buttons you have to press to turn the shield off.”

Ronon looked back into the dark tunnel and gripped his weapon firmly. Then, he rushed into the room and to the console Albert had pointed to. Albert told him which buttons he had to press and after few seconds, Albert could feel the weight pressing down on him becoming less heavy.  
Ronon raised his head from time to time to look at the door, but, finally Albert was able to get up from the plank bed, slowly and still dazed.

Ronon took his arm and pulled him into the dark tunnel.

“We have to find a place to hide. We cannot go through the Stargate at the moment and you're not in any state to defend yourself right now. We have to wait until you have regenerated a little bit.”

Albert followed Ronon through the corridor to another room. “Is he alone? Or is someone with him?” he asked silently.

Ronon nodded. “Yes, I think he's alone. I haven't seen any drones or other Wraith, nor one of the hybrids Michael had created. You were unconscious for hours and I couldn't do anything, because I wasn't able to get you out of this shield by myself.”

He shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “I can fight, but working at the computer is not my thing...”

Albert smiled at him. “You've done very well, Ronon.”

Ronon opened one of the flaps leading to a ventilating tunnel and leaned it back, but in a way the Commander would notice that someone had opened it.

“We have to put him on the wrong track. He will notice your escape, soon and search for you.”

Albert nodded and let Ronon take the lead. The big man of Sateda had spent years putting Wraith onto the wrong track and fighting against them and he knew quite well what he was doing. Not to mention that Albert's brain was still working much slower than usual.

Ronon rushed into the next room, doing the same as before, then he waved at Albert.

“I have seen the room he had prepared to bring you to... We will wait there for him. He probably won't think that we're waiting there, at least not right at the beginning. So, we will win the time we need until you have regenerated enough, Albert.”

Albert nodded again and followed Ronon into the chamber. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he saw the big bed standing at the wall opposite to the doorway. He knew immediately what the queen's Commander had wanted to use this bed for.

Albert could see several chains fixed at the bedsides and on top of the bed that the Commander surely would have used to tie him up. Their strength could probably be intensified with a power-shield, too, so Albert wouldn't of been able to free himself while the Commander 'played' with him...

Ronon drew him behind the door and after they had hidden their tracks completely, they made themselves as comfortable as possible and waited for the other Wraith to notice Albert's escape.

“How did you get here, Ronon?” whispered Albert and tried to see Ronon's face in the darkness.

“You were alone in the Gate-room and I couldn't sleep. I caught your emergency call and I came just in time to see him carry you through the Gate. I was able to follow him before the wormhole closed. Unfortunately, there was no time to wait for the others, because I hadn't seen the address he had dialed. He didn't see me, because I was a few meters behind and he was too busy with carrying you to this lab. I guess that he didn't even think of the possibility of someone following him. I hid behind the Gate until he was far away enough.”

Albert swallowed. “You shouldn't have done that, Ronon. You didn't know what would be waiting for you or how many Wraith would be here.”

Ronon spied through the slit between the door and the wall and then looked back to Albert again.

“We are one team, Albert. You didn’t leave me behind on the last planet.”

“That was a totally different situation.”

Ronon shook his head. “No, it was not, Albert. We are one team and you are my friend. I would never leave you behind. I've heard the motto of the Marines from earth and Major Lorne explained the meaning to me: 'Semper Fi' – forever loyal. That's also true for our team, Albert.”

Albert swallowed again, deeply touched and smiled at Ronon.

“Yes, Ronon. You're right. I'm honored be your friend,” he whispered hoarsely.

Ronon smiled back, but then, he lifted his head the same time as Albert.

“He’s realized that you're gone.” Albert nodded. Ronon raised his weapon and tensed, waiting for the Commander to come up to this room.  
They heard him growling and hissing in annoyance while he searched the corridors and rooms for his prey. They caught their breath as suddenly the tall figure showed up in the doorway. The Commander stepped into the room and Ronon lifted his weapon and shot three times.

The Commander turned around with a howl and Ronon shot the fourth time. The Wraith howled again and fell down to the ground, unconscious.  
Albert stared at Ronon. “You only paralyzed him?” he inquired, stunned.

Ronon glanced down at the unconscious Commander with obvious disgust.

“If I had been free to decide, this bastard would be dead. But, I have learned a lot about your laws and rules over the last couple weeks. I didn't know if it would be a problem for you if I killed him. Plus, I wanted to let you decide what we'll do with him. Maybe, you want to do – something else with him,” Ronon growled.

He dragged the ugly Wraith to the bed and Albert hurried to help him. They laid him on the bed and fastened the chains around his ankles and wrists. Albert had been right with his assumption, the strength of the chains could be increased with a power-shield. Albert had no problems activating the shield and turned it on with a contented growl.

Then, he gazed down at the malicious Commander and shivered with distaste.

“No, I would never ever – feed on him,” he remarked, his voice rough with loathing.

Ronon laughed, grimly. “I understand that very well. I would get sick, too. By the way, are Wraith actually able to throw up?” He turned to Albert and looked at him with curiosity.

Albert snorted, still staring at the Commander. “Oh, yes, we are. Sometimes, it's easier to get rid of what makes you sick, instead of waiting for your immune system to fight against the poison.  
Apart from that, we eat like humans until we reach our puberty. We are much more prone to diseases and poisons in our childhood and that's the best way to fight against such problems.”

He returned Ronon's glance. “We have to go to the Gate. I don't know the address of the facility, but I can dial Atlantis.”

Ronon tilted his head to the side. “Yes, I know that, Albert. I will tell you the way to the Gate and you have to go to Atlantis to get help.” He looked at the unconscious Commander again.  
“I have kept more Wraith at bay than I can count. He won't escape. But, if I have no other choice, then I will shoot this monster without hesitation.”

Albert nodded. “Yes, Ronon. You don't have to hesitate if it comes to that. This specimen of our race is just that – a monster,” he replied with sincerity.

The two so unlikely friends looked at each other and smiled. Together, they would take care that a monster like this Wraith would never have any chance to destroy all of what they were fighting for.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Albert sat in the cafeteria with Ronon, facing Rodney and Cameron on the other side of the table and smiling happily at them.

He had left Ronon with the Commander in Michael's lab and had gone to Atlantis through the Gate. Ronon had given him his remote control for the code and Albert had come back with a team after he had found out the address of this unknown planet in one of the computers of the lab.

Raven and Cameron were in charge with Mr.Woolsey, because Todd and John Sheppard were on another planet to help the settlers there and had seen to all what had been necessary. They had imprisoned the Commander who had been paralyzed by Ronon a second time after he had woken up and sent a team to check Michael's lab.  
The team was partly scientists from Atlantis and partly Wraith from Germanus' Hive. Rodney would go there too, to check it by himself, but, Albert was glad that he could sit here in the cafeteria with his three human friends and drink coffee, before Rodney would leave Atlantis.

The Queen had come to Atlantis a few days before and informed Mr. Woolsey, Commander Raven and Colonel Mitchell personally about the disappearance of her Commander. She also had told them her assumption that he would plot revenge and try to catch Albert. In the end, she had provided herself as a hostage to prove her trustworthiness to the alliance.

Raven and Mr. Woolsey had been very mistrustful, but Cameron had requested they trust her and treat her as a guest and not as a prisoner. She had proved her trustworthiness until now and left the punishment for her Commander in Raven's hands. Raven had decided to leave it up to Kilian, because Albert was Kilian's chosen consort and so Kilian had the right to decide the Commander's punishment.

“You really managed to give the Queen a name? She accepted your suggestion?” Albert inquired and looked at Cameron, completely taken by surprise.

Cameron smiled in a good mood and sipped from his coffee. “Yes, she has. She even thanked me for giving her a name.”

Albert gazed at him, shaking his head. “I had already found it astonishing that all of our Commanders accepted their names with pride – but she's a queen! Tell me, how did you do this and what’s her name?”

Cameron placed his cup back on the table and began to tell his story of the queen's name:

 

_Cameron stood at Raven's side on the pier waiting for the Queen to leave her scout-ship. She had informed Atlantis about her Commander's disappearance and the likely reason for his behavior via hyper-radio and offered to come personally to Atlantis and stay there, until the Commander could be been found and punished._

_She was as beautiful as she was in Cameron's memory when she stepped out of her scout-ship, this time in a dark-green dress which let her wonderful red hair shine even more than the blue dress she had worn the last time he had seen her._

_Raven growled at his side and shot him an annoyed look. Cameron had allowed him to connect with him telepathically and his mate obviously disliked Cameron's appreciation of the Queen's beauty._

_Cameron smiled gently at him and calmed him down with thoughts full of tenderness and longing until Raven relaxed again._

_“Welcome to Atlantis, Lady,” he greeted the Queen after this incident and bent his head slightly._

_“Thank you, Commander Raven. I'm truly sorry for the last occurrences which caused such trouble. Colonel Mitchell, Mr. Woolsey,” she also greeted the two men very politely. Raven gestured to the city and the small procession left the pier and went to the city's entrance._

_They had had a long conversation with the Queen and after this conversation; Cameron had asked Raven to treat her as a guest and to let him talk to her alone._

_Raven had hesitated, but, finally gave in and agreed to Cameron's request._   
_Cameron had accompanied the Queen to her quarters and asked her for a private conversation._

_Her golden eyes considered him for a long time, lost in her thoughts._

_“Of course, Colonel Mitchell. I have to thank you for letting me be treated as a guest, instead of having to spend my time in Atlantis in a cell. Please, come in.”_

_Cameron entered the quarters and pointed to the balcony. “We could talk outside. The sight is beautiful.”_

_She nodded. “Of course, Colonel.”_

_For a while, they just stood on the balcony, watching Atlantis' impressive towers and the ocean lying underneath them._

_Then, Cameron leaned with his back against the railing and looked at the Queen._

_“What would you think about getting a name, too?”_

_She gazed at him with an impassive mask on her beautiful features.”A name? You mean a 'human' name?”_

_Cameron nodded. “I know that it's uncommon and normally not necessary for Queens. But, you have this problem with our alliance. No one will address you by the title 'My Lady'. Not to mention 'My Queen'. But, 'Lady' alone, without 'My' set before 'Lady' oftentimes has a disrespectful meaning. It will put you to shame in front of your crew and humiliate you. Address you by a name, set behind 'Lady' or even 'Queen' would avoid this problem. Plus, no one of the alliance would be forced to acknowledge you as their ruler.”_

_The Queen gifted him with a slight smile. “You have great skills as a diplomat, Colonel Mitchell. I understand now why the alliance's Commanders accepted your suggestions so easily.”_

_She pursed her lips and watched him, attentively. “Which name would you give me?” she inquired, curiously._

_Cameron returned the smile. “Athena,” he said with great sincerity._

_“Athena.” The young Queen listened to the sound of the name and smiled again. “The name sounds beautiful. What does it mean on earth, Colonel Mitchell?”_

_Cameron cleared his throat._

_“Athena was a very high goddess in the earth's ancient world. She was actually a goddess of the ancient Greeks, but many other nations worshiped and adored her, too. The Greeks were a very important nation in our ancient world and have influenced other nations a lot. Athena was their goddess of fight and tactic, art and trade and – most important – of wisdom. I really believe that the name of this remarkable goddess would suit you perfectly.”_

_The Queen tilted her head to the side and considered him, amused. “The name of an ancient goddess. You really know how to flatter somebody, Colonel.”_

_She chuckled, but then, she became serious._   
_“You're right, Colonel Mitchell. Having a name would of solved many problems standing against a real alliance by now and the name you chose is both honorable as well as beautiful. I agree to your suggestion. I will wear the name 'Athena' set behind the title 'Lady'.”_

_Cameron bowed his head and smiled gratefully at the beautiful young Queen._

_“Thank you, Lady Athena. I'm truly honored that you agreed to my suggestion. I'm sure that we will have a real alliance, soon and stand next to each other with loyalty and trust.”_

 

Cameron went silent and Albert looked at him, amazed. “You've done great, Cameron. I would never ever have thought that any Queen would accept a human name. But, it's fantastic and solves the problem with the address in a perfect and wonderful way.”

Rodney nodded. “Indeed. It works very well and no one feels uncomfortable any longer. I do believe that we will have a real alliance with her.”

He smiled at Albert. “The circumstances might be unpleasant, but it's good to have you here, nevertheless, Albert. Will you fly back to the planet, soon?”

Albert shook his head. “No. Commander Raven contacted the Stardust. Kilian is on his way here. I hope that we can decode the Gate-addresses, soon and use the Stargates between the facility and Atlantis, it would be much easier this way. I have to stay here until Raven and Kilian have made their decision about the Commander's punishment.”

Ronon growled, displeased. “I know what I would do with this bastard,” he rumbled and Albert smiled at him.

“Yes, I know, Ronon and I understand you very well. Nonetheless, we have to respect our law. I'm rather sure that it will come to the solution you would prefer.”

“I hope so. This monster deserves it after what it wanted to do to you.”

“You were there and rescued me, Ronon.” Albert gently laid his hand on Ronon's shoulder and his friend calmed down a little bit.

He cleared his throat and shrugged, sheepishly. “As I told you before. We are one team – semper fi – as you say on earth. When will Kilian arrive?”

Albert smiled happily. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will see Kilian again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Semper Fidelis: Latin, the right translation is: 'Forever loyal'.
> 
> It seemed to be very appropriate for this chapter and for Albert's and Ronon's friendship!


	15. The Judgement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronon saved Albert from the ugly Commander's captivity.  
> What will happen to the Commander now?  
> How will the alliance punish him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the new chapter of Albert's story! I mused quite some time about the Commander's punishment and I hope you agree with the punishment I finally chose for him.
> 
> As always - have fun reading it and please, give me feedback!

Albert stood on the pier, waiting impatiently for Kilian to leave his scout-ship, so he could come to him and take him in his arms.

Kilian's scout-ship had landed a couple of minutes ago, but it felt like an eternity for Albert and he couldn't hardly take it any longer. He craved to be in Kilian's arms again so badly that it almost hurt.  
He wasn't able to imagine his life without Kilian anymore and he didn't understand why he had had such reservations at the beginning, because Kilian really was the most wonderful being in this universe.

He sighed relieved as he finally saw Kilian leave his scout-ship, coming to him single-minded.  
He hurried towards his mate and threw himself into his arms. Wraith normally didn't show such behavior in public, but he didn't care about this right now.  
They were in Atlantis and everyone knew what the ugly Commander from Lady Athena's Hive had tried to do to him. Albert was quite sure that no one would mind seeing him throw himself enthusiastically into Kilian's arms.

Kilian pressed him close and buried his face in Albert's silky fragrant mane. Albert snuggled as close to Kilian's slim body as he could and inhaled Kilian's irresistible scent deeply. He could smell and feel that Kilian was freshly fed and sighed wistfully.  
He longed to lie in Kilian's arms and forget everything else.

Eventually, Kilian raised his head and looked at Albert attentively. He lifted his hand up and caressed Albert's face with such tenderness that Albert had to swallow because all of a sudden, he felt a lump in his throat.

“What did he do to you?” Kilian's voice was raw with pain and Albert knew immediately that his mate, his other half, the one being in this universe that made him feel whole, hated himself for not being there to protect and save him.

He kissed Kilian and pressed him close.

“No, Kilian, please, don't even think that. You think that you failed me or something like that. That's not true! It was bad luck that he dialed the Gate when I was alone. I acted very stupid and irresponsible and I swear to you that I will never ever do something like that again. 

Please, Kilian, don't torment yourself with those thoughts! He really did nothing to me, he hadn't even had the opportunity to do so, because Ronon was there and saved me.”

“Yes, I know that. I will always be indebted to him for saving you.” Kilian covered Albert's face with kisses. He didn't seem to care about his reputation as Commander of a large Hive and if kissing his consort in public tenderly did any damage to this reputation. Albert didn't care, either.  
They were in Atlantis and not one of the inhabitants would consider their tenderness as weakness.

It would have been an entirely different kind of matter if they were among strange Wraith. To show feelings towards his chosen consort being among other Wraith would probably have been Kilian's undoing.

Wraith could take their consort, a worshiper or even a hostile Wraith in public. This was accepted behavior and could even increase their reputation, but they should never ever show feelings like tenderness or leniency.  
To show those feelings in public wasn't accepted in the Wraith-culture and was considered a weakness, especially if the Wraith was a Commander or other high-ranking officer.

Albert pushed these thoughts away to the back of his mind and returned the kisses longingly, vaguely aware of his friends who stood behind them, watching their reunion with friendly amusement and goodwill.

 

\------------------------------------------------------

 

Albert sat with Kilian, Raven, Justinus, Mr. Woolsey, Cameron, Ronon and Lady Athena in the conference-room and wished himself far away from this meeting.

Unfortunately, his presence was absolutely needed, because the topic was the punishment for the Commander.  
The punishment actually was only the business of the alliance's Wraith, but, Albert had asked for Cameron and Mr. Woolsey to join the meeting as the human party of their alliance as well and Raven had complied with his request immediately.

Kilian had hesitated, at first, but finally gave in as well, although Albert was sure that he would have preferred to sort out the punishment for the Commander without their human friends. Ronon had to be there because he was the one who had rescued Albert and had to testify against the Commander. Apart from that, Ronon surely agreed to Kilian's strict opinion about the Commander's punishment.

Actually, it was Lady Athena's responsibility to choose the punishment and to carry it out, but she had left that to the alliance right at her arrival in Atlantis and assured the leaders in charge, Raven, Cameron and Mr. Woolsey that she would accept every decision the alliance would make.

Now, she looked at Albert and Kilian and nodded her head in their direction.

“I want to apologize to you again, Kilian.” She talked to the young Commander instead of Albert, because Kilian was responsible for Albert's well-being judging by the Wraith's laws and rules, after he had set his claim upon Albert with Albert's agreement.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, Albert would have been annoyed about this behavior, but now, after he had come to terms with his feelings for Kilian and their kind of relationship he could accept the rules of their relationship, too.  
He was Wraith and although he would never get rid of his sometimes very human behavior, he knew quite well now, where he really belonged.

Kilian slightly bent his head to her. “You don't have to apologize, Lady Athena,” he answered politely. “It was not your fault. Your Commander abused your trust and it wasn't to be expected that he would respect our laws so little.”

“It's very kind of you to say that, but, I still feel responsible. I should have noticed right from the beginning how obsessed he was with your consort, no matter how much he was able to hide it.” she remarked self-critically and sighed.  
“He was always a good Commander but, he changed after he had lost his mate to the hoffanian epidemic. He became very bitter. I had hoped that joining your alliance would change that.”

Kilian considered the young queen, lost in his thoughts. Albert was tempted to connect with his mind, but Kilian had asked him not to do this before the meeting. Albert had been more surprised than annoyed and he would respect his mate's wish, even though it was really hard not to right now.

“He had a mate? What happened?” asked Kilian silently. His face was completely impassive and Albert couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Athena smiled, sadly.

“They were together for a very long time; his partner had chosen him when he was very young. They had been mated for almost three thousand years. His partner was not only his mate, but his mentor too. He had refused to be my Commander, because he knew that his younger consort was both, a very good officer and a very skilled scientist. My Commander's mate was our trainings-master. He fed from a survivor of the epidemic about three years ago and died a truly agonizing death. After his death, my Commander changed. He didn't care for his own well-being and appearance any longer and became bitter and depressed.”

She gazed at Albert and added quietly: “I know that his loss doesn't apologize for what he tried to do to you at all, but, I do believe that he only tried to fill the hole in his life. You look like his mate.”

Albert swallowed, feeling pity for the Commander.  
He had already been a witness to Wraith dying after they had fed from survivors of the hoffanian epidemic and it had been terrible to watch them die.  
The image of loosing Kilian this way made him shiver with horror.

He shot Kilian a brief look. Kilian's former Commander had also died this way and Albert knew how much it had hurt and influenced Kilian.

He looked to the others and noticed how touched they were, even Ronon seemed to be touched and impressed.

Raven cleared his throat. “This explains a lot of what has happened, but it's no excuse for his behavior, nevertheless. It's still up to Kilian to decide his punishment.”

Athena nodded in Raven's direction. “Of course, Commander Raven. I will accept every judgment you consider as appropriate.”

Albert watched Kilian who stared out of the window with an impassive mask on his beautiful features. No one dared to speak, everyone in the room waiting patiently for the young Commander to say something, but Albert could see in Cameron's and Mr. Woolsey's faces that both men hoped for a mild judgement.

He was able to understand that. Although the Commander had tried to take him against his will, Albert hoped for Kilian to show clemency as well, even if this only meant that he would die without having to suffer.  
Albert knew that most of the Wraith acting against their laws in this massive way, especially against the laws of those binding relationships, died by being fed on.

Finally, Kilian turned his head and looked at Commander Raven first and then, at Lady Athena. He didn't look at Albert, but he briefly squeezed his hand, stroking it with his thumb.

“I want to speak with him, alone. After that talk, I will tell you my decision, Lady Athena, Commander Raven.” he demanded in a rough voice.

This really was uncommon and Albert gazed at his mate, astonished.  
Normally, those requests were turned down to avoid uncontrolled acts of revenge, which could become the undoing of even whole Hives.

Raven frowned and turned to Justinus. “Commander Justinus, is that possible? Is Commander Kilian allowed to speak with the Commander in private without causing further problems?”

Justinus pushed his hair back and looked at the young queen.  
“I have no reservations if Lady Athena agrees to his request.” he replied, musing.  
“He's still under her rule.”

Athena smiled very friendly at Justinus and replied with her soft and warm voice:

“Please, let us change it to my 'command' instead of 'rule', Commander Justinus. I want to become a real ally to you and considering me as the 'ruler' of my Hives wouldn't be appropriate, then.”

Justinus bowed slightly before her and Albert could see how much the young queen had been able to impress this experienced Commander.

“Of course, Lady Athena, as you wish. Will you agree to Commander Kilian's request?”

Athena considered Kilian for a while, musing before she nodded.

“I have no reservations against his wish. I'm sure that Commander Kilian won't use this opportunity for an act of revenge.”

Kilian smiled briefly, the first smile he showed, since he had entered the conference-room. “I assure you that I won't do something like that, Lady Athena. Thank you for allowing me to speak with him, privately.”

Raven got up and gestured to the door.

“Very well. We will take a break and wait until Kilian has talked to him. I'm sure that we will be able to decide about the punishment after they talk.”

Albert got up too, relieved as he watched Kilian leave the room to see the Commander with a wistful sigh. Cameron came to his side and laid his hand on Albert's shoulder.

“I'm sure that he will do the right thing, Albert. Come with me, we could train with Ronon during the break. It's been a long time since we have been able to train with each other and it will distract you from your thoughts.”

Albert nodded and followed his two friends, grateful that he had friends like them. Friends, who always stood by his side and never let him down if he needed them.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------

 

Albert stood on his favorite balcony and watched the ocean, ruffling slightly in the soft wind.

He had withdrawn to that place after Kilian had made his decision.  
He needed some time on his own and this time, Cameron had sensed it and accepted Albert's wish. He simply had nodded as Albert had told him that he wanted to be alone for a while.

Kilian had to speak with Raven, Justinus and Lady Athena and see to some things before he could come to him.  
Lady Athena now needed a new Commander for her Hive and Raven had asked Justinus to do this job temporary until they would have another solution.  
Justinus' second would be in charge of Justinus' own Hive until Justinus returned and Justinus would leave with Lady Athena for the next few days.

Albert sighed, watching the slight waves do their happy dance, trying to come to terms with his feelings.  
Kilian had made his decision and now, all of them had to live with this decision and try to make the best out of it. Albert only hoped that they would be able to do so.

“Hi.” He felt arms wrapped around his waist from behind and slightly leaned back against his mate's broadly built chest, laying his hands over Kilian's.

“Does my decision bother you, Albert?” asked Kilian quietly. Albert shook his head searching for the mental contact. This time, his mate welcomed him happily into his mind without hesitation.

'Of course not, my favorite. To be honest, I didn't think that you would go that far.'

'Where should he go if we send him away, Albert? It would only boost his loneliness and bitterness.'

'Yes, I know that. I just feel a little bit uncomfortable by the thought of seeing him very often.'

'I don't think that you will see him that often. Not to mention that you won't be alone with him. Apart from that, I know that he will never come near you again. I could sense it when I had connected with his mind.'

Albert relaxed a little bit and smiled. Kilian couldn't see his face, but he felt Albert's smile in his head and relaxed, too.

'I couldn't let him be killed, not after knowing what happened to his mate. We have only been together for a couple of weeks, but the thought of loosing you is unbearable. I can't even imagine what losing his mate to the hoffanian virus did to him after three thousand years.'

'I know, Kilian. I feel the same way. I'm glad that he gets a chance. Only, I'm not sure, if he will make the best out of this chance.'

Now, Albert could feel Kilian's smile in his mind and he snuggled closer in his arms.

'But, I'm sure about that. He will take the chance he had been offered. He asked to take a bath first when I told him my decision.'

'Uh, that's good to hear. He really needs to bathe.'

Albert turned his head to look at Kilian. 'How did you manage to convince Dr. Zelenka to take him with his team? Dr. Zelenka is really – special.'

Kilian grinned at him. 'That was surprisingly easy. I asked him if he had a problem with working with the Commander because of the occurrences. But, he only shrugged and simply stated that he certainly wouldn't be in danger about being forced into the Commander's bed and that it surely wouldn't be as worse to work with him as it is to work with Rodney. He'd rather work with a silent Wraith-scientist than with Dr. McKay...'

Albert chuckled and shook his head. 'I'm very curious to learn how they'll get along with each other. He will need a name.'

Kilian shrugged his shoulders. 'Cameron or Dr. Zelenka will see to that, I guess. I think it will be good for him to work as a scientist only for quite some time. It will distract him from his loss and he really must be skilled, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to use Michael's lab the way he did.'

'Yes, you're right. I really want to know who will name him, Cameron or Radek.'

He grinned, thinking of the small Czech who was able to teach even old officers the meaning of fear and drink big Marines under the table.

But then, he became serious and looked Kilian deep in his beautiful eyes.

“I love you, Kilian.” he said, sincerely and longingly.

Kilian pressed him close and kissed him with great passion.

'I love you too, my beautiful Albert.” he answered huskily, as he drew back from Albert’s smooth lips.

For a long time, they just looked each other deep in the eyes and then, Kilian turned Albert around. He kissed him again and gently pushed him away to have a better look at him.

“I had a talk with Raven and Cameron before I came to you, Albert.  
You never asked Raven this, but, I know how important it is for you and Cameron is thinking much the same. Plus, Raven finally agreed to my request, as well. He wasn't sure if it really was the right thing to do, but I do think that it is the right time now.  
He will see to what's necessary and we will leave Atlantis, soon.”

Albert gazed at Kilian, confused. He was still overwhelmed by his confession about his love for Kilian and that Kilian said that he loved him too, but he didn't know what to think of this change of the topic.

“Leave? Where will we go to?” He asked, warily, feeling a little bit hurt because Kilian didn't kiss him anymore and didn't say that he loved him, again.

They were still telepathically bonded and Kilian smiled and stroked his cheek as he sensed his consort's feelings.

“You can say 'I love you' in many different ways Albert. This is my way to say it to you. We will leave to the planet where your family lives. Raven has watched them over the past twenty-five years and made sure that nothing happened to the humans who raised you and still love you. One of your brothers has become the father of a little girl in the last year. Raven and Jennifer had helped his wife give birth to your little niece. Raven always feared that a reunion with your human family would boost your conflict between your Wraith-nature and your humanity. He wanted to avoid your reunion because of that fear, but I do believe that this won't be an issue any longer. Your parents have been asking him about you all these years and I truly think that it's the right time now to see your family again Albert.”

Albert stared at Killian in surprise, his mind and heart racing at the gift his consort was presenting him. Unable to say anything, Albert did the only thing that came to his mind in that moment. He jumped his consort, wrapping his arms about his neck and kissing him with every bit of love and passion he felt. Pulling away, Albert rubbed his head against Killian’s neck.

  
“Thank you.” He would see his family again. He hardly couldn't believe it. He really would see his family again.

  
He snuggled even closer to his mate and whispered again: “I love you, Kilian.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very special thanks to my beta Dulinneth, for doing the beta so fast and inspiring me so much!  
> She asked me to give the Commander a second chance and maybe, there will be another story with the Commander and Dr. Zelenka...
> 
> Finally, Albert and Kilian said the famous three words! I do believe that Wraith love, suffer and laugh like their human brothers.  
> Plus, I really think that they should be allowed to say these words to one another!  
> I hope you are as eager to read about the reuinon of Albert and his family as I am to write about.  
> The next chapter will be up soon, I promise!


	16. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albert will now see his family again - after twenty-five years!  
> Will it be a happy reunion?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the final chapter of Albert's story!  
> It was both, difficult and a pleasure to write it and I think that it's a really good ending for his story, although I'm a little bit sad that it's over now.  
> Of course, Albert and Kilian will show up in my other stories, too, so you will meet them again!
> 
> More than a million thanks to Dulinneth for her absolutely incredible fast beta!
> 
> Enjoy the last chapter of Albert's story and please, if you liked the story, than please let me know!

Albert stared at the event horizon of the wormhole, hesitating. He had used the Stargate so many times, but the sight of the blue waves, looking like water and yet being something totally different fascinated him as much as it had the first time he had gone through.

But, this wasn't the reason why he hesitated right now. This time, he hesitated because of another reason. If he stepped through the wormhole right now, he would see his family again, his human family.  
He had craved to see them again for so many years, the wonderful humans who had raised him, but now, as time drew closer to this, he was afraid and felt unsure.  
What would happen when he stood in front of them?

Would he recognize them? Would they still love him? He swallowed and tried to step forward, but his feet didn't obey his command.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and looked at the handsome face of his mate Kilian gently smiling at him.

“Come, my beautiful Albert.” said his mate; the young, impressive Wraith-Commander Kilian, softly. “It's time for you to see your family again.”

Albert drew a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, you're right. It's time now.” he replied, hoarsely.

The hand on his shoulder gave him the certainty he needed. He made a big step and went through the wormhole, to step on the planet at the other side of the galaxy. The planet where his family lived, waiting for him to visit them.

Kilian smiled slightly and followed him through the event horizon.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------

 

The planet was thickly wooded, with the Stargate standing all alone in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by large and dark trees.

Albert curiously looked around. The sight was familiar to him, although he had been on this clearing only a few times in his childhood.  
His parents had not wanted him to play near the Gate with his friends and siblings and the last time he had seen this place was twenty-five years ago, when he had had to leave his home to live on a Hive, unhappily and sick with fear.  
It had been a very dark night then and the storm had lashed the trees.

Kilian followed him through the wormhole where Raven and Cameron stood to the side of the Stargate, waiting silently and patiently for Albert to come to them so he could go with them to the village where his human family lived.

Raven had insisted on going with Albert, because he had kept a careful eye on the humans who had raised Albert and their well-being all these years. Apart from them, the inhabitants of the village knew him at least slightly.

Cameron had insisted on coming with them as well so the inhabitants of the settlement would not become frightened by three Wraith suddenly coming to their village. He figured if they saw a human accompany the Wraith, freely and without being a captive they would be more at ease.  
Not to mention, he wanted to see the little girl again that Raven and Jennifer had helped give birth about a year ago.

Albert took a few uncertain steps towards Raven and Cameron before he turned to look at Kilian. Kilian smiled at him, lovingly.

“They are waiting for you, Albert. I'm here with you. Come,” he encouraged his tentative consort, laying his hand reassuringly on his shoulder.

Raven had visited the planet two days earlier to prepare Albert's family for their son's visit. He had also asked them not to wait at the Stargate. He knew Albert well enough to guess that he probably wanted to use the time it would take to go from the Gate to the village to prepare himself for his reunion with his human family.

Raven stood silently at Cameron's side, his hand laying in a somewhat possessive gesture on Cameron's shoulder. Albert smiled as he noticed the fresh, dark red mark on Cameron's neck, covered only partly by his jacket's collar.  
He was surprised once more, that Cameron had managed to integrate himself so well into the Hive's lifestyle amongst so many Wraith within the short span of only a year.  
He wore their clothes, had adapted his life to their rhythm completely and had never put his mate, the eminent flagship's Commander of twelve large Hives, to shame.

That was really astonishing, because the laws and rules of the Wraith-culture were very complicated and hard to understand for humans. Worshipers normally needed years to comprehend them without failing them and some worshipers never learned it, no matter how many years they lived on a Hive.

Cameron caught his glance and smiled at him soothingly, but he said nothing, letting Raven take the lead. Albert was quite sure that Cameron behaved in a totally different way when he was alone with Raven, but the young human Colonel possessed enough self-confidence to let Raven be in charge in public without feeling humiliated.

He straightened and nodded his head in Raven's direction. 'I'm ready Commander. We should go.' he sent to him, telepathically.

Raven nodded and turned away to make his way single-minded along the small path leading from the Stargate to the hidden settlement, where his family waited to finally see him again after twenty-five years.

 

\---------------------------------------------

 

They stood at the edge of the village and watched Albert's group come closer.

Albert recognized them immediately, even though he hadn't seen them for many years. Humans changed much more in a span of twenty-five years than Wraith.

His father had become gray-haired but, he still had the same taut and tall built figure and there were only a few lines on his face. Behind his parents, stood his youngest brother with a young woman at his side. He carried a little girl in one of his arms and held the hand of an elder boy standing beside him.  
His sister and his other brother weren't there and Albert swallowed, unsure.

He had come to a halt instinctively as he had seen his family standing at the edge of the settlement. Now, his eyes traveled to the figure standing at his father's side and he swallowed against the lump in his throat.

His mother had tied back her magnificent, thick hair, still shimmering a wonderful golden color that held only a few silver strands, with a loose knot and she was still as slim and taut as a young girl.

His mother was still the most beautiful human woman Albert had ever seen in his whole life. She stood upright beside her husband, gazing at him, intently. Albert looked into her warm brown eyes filled with tears as she pressed her hand against her mouth to suppress her cry.

“Atus, my boy, my son!” She whispered, spreading her arms widely, beckoning him to her.

Albert didn't hesitate any longer. “Mom!” With this cry he rushed to the woman who had raised him with so much love and threw himself into her waiting arms.

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

Albert sat at the table in the living room of his parent's house beside his mother and watched his sister rushing up and down, busied with setting the table.

Cameron had insisted on helping her and after some resisting on her part she had given in and let him carry the bowls.

His sister was the youngest of his siblings, she had been only two years old when he had had to leave her, but she had welcomed him with the same love and joy as the rest of his family when he had entered his parent's house.

She had grown up to be a very beautiful young woman, looking so much like her mother.  
Gesil was happily married and her belly bulged softly, because she would become a mother herself in about four months.

Albert sat between his father Gavan and his mother Linnea, facing his younger brother Bilan at the other side of the table. Bilan's son Artos had seated himself on Kilian's lap after short hesitation. Kilian had looked very surprised first, but he had accepted his role as an uncle with enthusiasm very quickly.  
Bilan's wife was busied with Albert's other brother in the kitchen and their little daughter seemed to have the same astonishing particular liking for ancient Wraith-warriors as Dorothy Keller-McKay.

But, maybe she simply felt that she had to thank Raven for her life, because she had stretched out her thin little arms in his direction very insistently until he had lifted her up and taken her in his arms. Now, she slept in the arms of the impressing Wraith-Commander, contentedly sucking at her little thumb.

Gesil and Kovan, Albert's other brother, had decided that they would wait for Albert at their parent's place to welcome him. They had feared that it could be too much for their adored elder brother, whom they had almost worshiped in their childhood, if they were all waiting for him at the edge of the village.

Gesil's husband unfortunately was on another planet to get new supplies they really needed and would be back in only a couple of days. Therefore, he couldn't be with them celebrating the reunion of Albert and his family. Albert really would have liked to get to know his sister's husband, because he felt a strong sense of protectiveness towards Gesil, although he hadn't seen her for such a long time. But, she had assured him that her husband really loved her and treated her right and she seemed to be very happy.

Kovan had also prepared and cooked the banquet, so he was still busy in the kitchen after their heartfelt welcoming scene.  
Kovan wasn't married like his other siblings and had a strong drive for adventures which made him leave his home to go to other planets very often.

Linnea looked at her foster son, happily stroking his smooth, hairless cheek.

“Were you doing fine all these years, my dear son? Have you been happy?” she asked with her soft voice. He remembered so well all the bed time stories and lullabies she had told or sung him with this wonderful voice when he had been a child.

“Yes mom, I have been fine all these years.” He laid his hand atop of hers, pressing it close to his face. “Commander Raven has seen to me and made sure that I was fine and safe. He was the best mentor I could have wished for.”

Raven shot him a slightly uncomfortable look, he wasn't used to being praised in public, but he smiled at Linnea as she reached out with her other hand over the table and took his slim hand into her own, squeezing it gently.

“Thank you so much, Commander,” she said quietly. “We are deeply indebted to you.”

Raven cleared his throat, obviously touched, although he tried to cover it.

“We are indebted to you, Linnea, not the other way round. What you have done for us, when you agreed to raise the child of your mortal enemies; offering him not only a happy childhood, but also a safe future without thinking of your own safety, was so much more than I could have done for you.”

Gavan considered his sleeping granddaughter in the Commander's arms. The sweet little girl had snuggled close to the Wraith's broadly built chest, showing no fear at all. She had laid her head on his shoulder, trustfully and sucked slightly at her little thumb from time to time during her sleep.

Gavan smiled, his eyes traveling to his grandson, who had lost his shyness completely, bombarding the young Wraith-Commander who had taken him on his lap with curious questions. Kilian answered the questions smiling and with great patience.

“Unfortunately, it's not the same in the whole galaxy, but for us on this planet and your alliance, we surely are no mortal enemies Commander Raven.” he stated quietly and Raven bent his head.

“You're right, Gavan. Plus, I'm not only here because of your reunion with Albert, but also to make the suggestion to you to join our alliance. We can talk about the conditions, later, if you don't mind.”

Gavan gazed at the Commander for a while, lost in his thoughts. “Times have changed. For so many years we only thought about hiding ourselves and letting this place remain a secret. To join your alliance surely will be advantageous to us, but I cannot make this decision by myself. The elders of this village will have to make this decision.”

“Of course Gavan. We will stay here for several days and there will be enough time to talk about my suggestion and the conditions for your entry into our alliance without threatening your safety.

Gavan smiled at Raven. “I hope that our entry will be possible. But now, we should celebrate that our son Atus, you named him Albert in the meantime, has returned to us after so many years.”

He squeezed the hand of his foster son and Albert smiled at his father, happily.

“I'm so happy to see you again father.” he whispered, returning the firm handshake.

“Me too son. Me too.” Father and son smiled at each other, deeply touched that they had found each other after such a long time.

In the meantime, Cameron had placed the bowls on the almost overloaded table with Gesil. He took the chair at Raven's side and looked at his mate and the sleeping girl in his arms with a slight smirk.

“I will have to feed you.” he stated amused and Raven growled at him, silently, making sure that the little girl on his chest didn't wake up.

Gesil sat with Kovan at the table as well, chuckling. “Cameron told me that there's a little girl in Atlantis, who has the same particular liking for you as Silena. Her name is Dorothy, isn't it?”

Raven looked down at the golden-brown locks falling over his shoulder and caressed the soft cheek with his thumb, carefully. “Yes, her name is Dorothy. She's very charming.”

Gesil smiled longingly. “I know that it really should not matter.” She stroked her bulging belly, tenderly. “But it would be wonderful to have a little daughter.”

Albert cleared his throat and Gesil gazed inquiringly at him.”Yes, Atus?” She hesitated. “I shall get used to Albert. But, for us, you will always be Atus.”

“That's alright with me, my sister. It would be great if you would call me Atus.” He smiled at her. “You will have a little daughter. I'm able to sense her life-force. She's healthy and strong.” he said quietly and Gesil beamed at him.

“Really? You can really feel it?”

Albert nodded his head. “Yes. I'm sure that Raven and Kilian are able to feel her, too, aren't you?”

Kilian and Raven nodded in unison. “Yes, you will have a little daughter. She's very strong and healthy.” Kilian confirmed Albert's statement.

Gesil blinked, wiping a tear from her eye. “That's wonderful. Thank you, Atus.”

Cameron cleared his throat and asked, curiously, offering the bowls with the food:

“What's the meaning of the name 'Atus'? I'm sure the name has a meaning, am I right?”

Linnea stroked the hand of her foster son.

“Yes, Colonel Mitchell. This name has a meaning. 'Atus' is an ancient word of our language and it means 'gift'. We had craved to have children so badly and Atus was our wonderful gift. We were so happy when Commander Raven allowed us to raise him. By the way, what's the meaning of the name 'Albert'?”

Cameron grinned, amused. “On Earth, we had a very important scientist. His name was 'Albert Einstein'. Dr. McKay, Dorothy's father named him after that scientist because he was very impressed by Albert's skills and abilities as a scientist.”

“I see. You have two respectable names, then, Atus Albert. Plus, you have found other humans who love and appreciate you as much as we do, my son. I'm so happy for you.”

Linnea took his hand again and Albert smiled at her, as happy as she obviously was.

“Yes mom, me too.” He looked at Kilian who had filled his plate, sharing his food with his 'nephew' Artos.

“Not to mention my wonderful mate I'm honored to share my life with. Kilian is great and we really love each other, mom.”

Gavan watched the young Commander, who had his grandson sitting on his lap, laughing with the boy.  
“Then we have won another son,” he said, sincerely. “You will always be welcome, Kilian and be our son as much as Atus.”

Kilian bent his head, smiling at his 'father-in-law', gratefully. “Thank you, father,” he replied, deeply touched. “I'm honored to call you my family.”

Albert cleared his throat and took one of the bowls with a determined gesture.

“We should honor Kovan's effort with the banquet and start eating this delicious food, before it gets cold,” he remarked, filling his plate. The others agreed loudly, following his example.

For a long time, all you could hear was the silent rattling of the dishes and the cutlery.

 

\-------------------------------------------------

 

Albert lay in Kilian's arms on the soft grass and sighed, aroused.

They had left the house in silence some time ago, when Cameron and his human family had withdrawn for the night.

Raven had watched them leave, but said nothing. He had only nodded in their direction before he followed Cameron into the guest-room.

Albert had led Kilian to the small, hidden clearing where he had played oftentimes when he had been a child. Now, they lay on the grass, naked, caressing and kissing each other tenderly.  
A soft breeze cooled their heated bodies and Albert pulled Kilian even closer, moaning hoarsely with lust. They were deeply bonded telepathically, sharing their emotions as if they were just one single being.  
Kilian drove into him, gently and tenderly and Albert moved his hips, meeting Kilian's thrusts with longing and ardor.

'I love you, my mate.' Kilian kissed Albert lovingly.

'I love you, too, my sweet Albert. You're my gift, Atus.' Albert smiled against Kilian's lips, snuggling closer in the arms of the young Commander.

They moaned and moved faster, nearing orgasm, savoring their mating to the last second.

Albert didn't know the last time he had been as happy as he felt now. He had a wonderful mate, he had finally found his home and he had close friends, both humans and Wraith. Not to mention that he had been reunited with his family after twenty-five years. He had missed his family so badly and he had always feared that they had forgotten him. They had not. They still loved him as much as they had when he had been a child.

Kilian bent his head to Albert's throat, placing his feeding hand gently upon his chest.

Albert cried out with pleasure as Kilian renewed their bonding, filling him with his life-force and sucking eagerly on his vulnerable throat.

Albert arched wildly with a loud gasp as his feelings overwhelmed him, reaching the height of complete ecstasy.

Kilian growled at his neck and followed him over the edge, filling him with his seed and his precious life-force at the same time.

They held each other tight, sharing their pleasure and ecstasy, until they finally dropped back onto the soft grass, spent and deeply satisfied.

For a long time, they simply lay there, enjoying the warm afterglow of their wonderful bonding. After a while, Kilian lifted his head up, smiling at Albert.

“I love you, my beautiful Albert,” he whispered, tenderly. Albert returned the smile.

“I love you, too, Kilian,” he answered, happily and sated.

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

Albert stood near the Stargate and looked around for one last time.

This time, he wasn’t leaving the planet where he had grown up in the dead of night, unhappy and sick with fear because of an unknown future.

No. This time, he would leave this planet, the home of his childhood with his mate and his friends in the certainty that it wouldn't take twenty-five years, until he would see his family again.

They had spent a couple of days with his family and Albert had enjoyed their reunion and had played with his nephew and his niece. Raven and Kilian had been able to convince the elders of the village to join their alliance.

His brother Kovan would come with him to Atlantis as a representative and Raven had promised that Commander Todd and Colonel Sheppard would come to the planet after their mission and fix the last conditions.

Kilian reached out with his hand and Albert took it in his own.

“Come, my beautiful Albert. We will visit our family again, soon. It's time now to go home. Our friends are waiting for us.”

Albert nodded and smiled at his mate.

“Yes, my mate, let's go home.”

He turned to the Gate and stepped through the event horizon with his mate at his side, in the certainty that he had found his home and the one special place in this universe where he truly belonged.

 

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thank you again:  
> To my wonderful family who always support me so much,  
> to both of my betas liz_mo and Dulinneth for their invaluable help and good advice,  
> and especially to all of my readers! I would never have thought that so many people would like to read my story about Albert, the very uncommon Wraith!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, commenting and leaving kudos! Getting feedback is very important to me and is the one thing that keeps me writing! So please, let me know if you like my story!
> 
> This story might be finished, but, there will be other stories about The Pegasus Alliance and I really hope that you will stay with me and read the new stories about the guys from Pegasus, too!


End file.
